


Blue Blur

by FunandFictional



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-08
Updated: 2015-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-08 09:12:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 37,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4299057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FunandFictional/pseuds/FunandFictional
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The reader is enjoying their breakfast in a crowded coffee shop when Pietro walks in and sits next to them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Meeting

Seriously? You had only slept in for half an hour. 30 minutes! Where had all of these people come from?

Every morning, you would go to the local coffee shop to have a warm beverage and some sort of breakfast item. Settle into one of the comfy chairs in the back, go through some stuff on your laptop, and be ready to go be productive as soon as you were done.

Your nice morning ritual was ruined, however, because of the loud storm which kept you up last night. Paying for your (favorite drink) and muffin, you noticed the only empty seat was a stool set up at the bar near the windows. Well, it wouldn’t be as comfortable, but at least you could watch the busy streets of New York while you ate.

Setting your cup and plate down on the bar, you sat down. Added bonus, you were at the end of the bar, so you only had to awkwardly sit next to one person. Glancing for a second, the older woman paid no notice to you as she typed away on her phone.

Gazing out the window, you smiled as you watched people rushing by. Going to work, school, the gym, who knows? Taking a sip of your drink you noticed the woman next to you moving. Quickly packing up her things, she exited.

_“Even better, maybe more of the crowd will leave soon. It is still a little too noisy in here,”_ you thought. Turning your head to look around, you sighed. Apparently no one else had felt the need to depart.

Swiveling back to look out the window, your eyes noticed…a blue streak coming towards you? Blinking, you saw a man suddenly appear near the window. Where had he come from? Wearing a grey hoodie, you couldn’t distinguish much about his appearance except for the fact that he was incredibly fit. The material clung close to his biceps and you had to stop your staring.

Luckily, he didn’t notice you as he was looking down at his phone. Pulling his earphones, out he stuffed both into his pocket and walked out of your view.

_“Hmmm, what was that blue streak? I must be really tired,_ ” you wondered.

Sipping more of your drink, you looked down at your phone. _“It’s already been 20 minutes?”_ You had only taken one bite of your muffin. _“Tired and zoning out. I guess today is just going to be a slow day for me. Oh well, might as well enjoy my breakfast slowly. Don’t have anywhere I need to be.”_

Thinking to yourself, you were a little startled when you noticed someone sit in the empty seat next to you. Just letting your eyes shift, they widened when you saw platinum hair emerge from a grey hood as it was pulled down. Oh, grey hoodie guy came into the coffee shop. Oh, grey hoodie guy doesn’t just have nice biceps. That jaw…

“Is there something on my face?” An accented voice asked you. Widening your eyes, you hadn’t realized that he had noticed your staring. A slight smirk graced his face and you felt you face flush.

Shaking your head quickly, you watched as his smirk grew. “No, nothing on your face. I’m sorry.”

You lowered your head and he chuckled. “No need to be sorry. My face is quite handsome, yes?”

Your face shot up and you were pleased to see that he at least looked like he was joking. Though, with that face, you wouldn’t be surprised it he was that cocky. You felt the need to check, hopefully he wouldn’t be the latter. “You think pretty highly of yourself.”

He scratched the back of his head and smiled. “Only when I’m flirting.” He winked at you and you blinked in surprise.

“Flirting? With me? You don’t even know my name yet.” You tried to sound teasing, but he seemed to take you seriously.

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Pietro. What is your name?” He asked quickly.

“I’m (Y/N),” you smiled when he held out his hand for a handshake. Putting your hand in his, you both shook hands, smiling at each other. As you were about to pull your hand away, Pietro held on and lifted it to his face. Placing a gentle kiss on top of it, you felt your heartbeat quicken.

Before you could respond, you heard a phone chime. Letting go of your hand, Pietro reached into his pocket. Pietro sighed as he glanced at his screen for a second before typing out a quick response. Running a hand through his hair, Pietro murmured something under his breath, but you couldn’t understand what he said. It sounded like another language, but you weren’t sure which one.

“Sadly, it seems that I have to go. It was very nice meeting you (Y/N). Maybe we can meet again at some time?” Pietro smiled when you nodded.

“I’m here almost every morning, so that would be the easiest way to find me,” you replied.

“Aww, don’t make it too easy. I love a good chase,” Pietro winked at you before turning away and leaving.

You stared out the window, hoping to catch him walking away, but all you saw was a crowd of strangers. And a faint blue blur.


	2. Bookstore Encounter

Well, Pietro had said not to make it too easy to find you. You hadn’t meant to avoid the coffee shop all week, but he must have jinxed it.

The next day, you were invited to brunch with a childhood friend who was visiting New York. Day after that, you skipped breakfast since you had to go to the dentist. Day after that you received a call from a distressed coworker. Explaining that her son was sick, you had agreed to work her shifts in the morning. Thus, no breakfast and no chances to meet up again with Pietro.

You sighed as you placed new books onto the shelves. The small bookstore that you worked at was great, but the pay wasn’t the best and no one ever came in this early. The morning shift wasn’t so bad, but you liked helping people find books. Show them your favorites and learn about what books they had just read.

Your coworker had texted you to say that she would be back to morning shift tomorrow, so you only had to hold out for one more day.

 _“I wonder if Pietro looked for me…”_ you shook your head and chuckled under your breath. _“No, he probably just felt like flirting. He is basically a stranger. All I know is his first name. He probably has forgotten all about me.”_ You felt a bit down thinking that, but you were just being realistic. Hot stranger who falls in love with you after only meeting once? Sounded too much like a Disney movie.

Getting back to work, you headed to the back of the store to grab another box from the storage room. Just as you exited, you heard the chime above the door jingle.

“I’ll be right with you,” you called out as you put the box back.

You began walking towards the front of the store. “I’m sorry for the wait. Is there anything you need assistance with today?”

Standing in front of the door was a beautiful woman. Brown hair swept up into a ponytail, she looked like a model with her huge black sunglasses and flowing red sundress.

“No, I’ll be fine. I was just taking a walk when I noticed this shop. I do love reading, so I thought I’d come in and see what you have,” she responded. Taking off her sunglasses, she turned to look at the books being displayed on the front table.

Noting that she would just be randomly searching, you decided that you could go back to shelving books. “Well, my name is (Y/N). I’ll be near the back of the store, so please let me know if you need anything.”

“Thank-you, (Y/N),” she called back.

You paused. The way she said your name was so familiar. “Her accent sounds like Pietro’s,” you thought.

As soon as you had that thought, the woman’s head snapped up. “Umm, is something wrong?” You asked, confused at her sudden action. Turning towards you, the woman smiled. “I just remembered something. My twin was telling me about a girl that he had met earlier this week with the same name as you. And now that I think about it, he was telling me about her beautiful (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes. You seem to fit the description perfectly.”

You blinked in surprise. “Pietro is your twin brother?”

The woman nodded and walked closer. Placing a hand on your arm, she smiled warmly at you. “My name is Wanda. My brother can’t seem to stop thinking about you. I think he was beginning to think he imagined you because he kept coming home disappointed.”

You were incredibly surprised to hear this. So, he had been thinking about you? And he had even been sad to not meet you?

Wanda smirked as she looked at you. “What?” You asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her gaze.

Putting her sunglasses back on, her eyes seemed to glow from underneath them. “I can see why Pietro likes you so much. Kind and someone who may be interesting enough to slow him down. I wonder if you will tell me where you will be tomorrow so I can put my brother out of his misery. And so he will stop annoying me with his moping.” She raised an eyebrow expectantly at you.

Surprised that she wanted to help you out so much, you paused before responding. “I won’t be working in the morning anymore after today, so I’ll actually be back in the coffee shop for breakfast again tomorrow.”

Wanda nodded. “Good. I’ll make sure Pietro is there. 9 A.M., right?”

“Yeah… How did you know?” When you had met Pietro it had been closer to 10 and it was currently 10:30. How had she known to guess 9?

Wanda chuckled as she turned towards the door. “I’m just good at guessing. It was nice to finally meet you (Y/N). Maybe now I can have some peace and quiet.”


	3. Screaming Thoughts (Pietro POV)

Speeding around the track, Pietro finally slowed after having run at least a few hundred laps.

Going to grab a water he glanced at the clock. 10:45 A.M. Today had been the first day all week that Pietro had forced himself not to go to the coffee shop.

(Y/N) had obviously not been interested, so she lied to make him leave. Or maybe she was sick. The entire week. Maybe the muffin had given her food poisoning, so she refused to go back. Maybe she was in a hospital somewhere. Maybe he had gotten the time wrong each day and had just missed her. Maybe she was in danger. Maybe she was waiting there for him right now. Maybe…

“Pietro! Brother, please stop screaming in your head,” Wanda walked into the gym and glared at her twin. Rubbing her temples, she sighed. “You barely even know her. Why are you being so obsessed? I’m being to worry about your sanity.”

Pietro rubbed the back of his head and gave his sister a sheepish grin. “I’m sorry sister. I know that I have been too much, but I just feel… Close to her? There was something about her that was… Comforting? No, that’s not right…”

Wanda approached him and patted his shoulder. “So, what are you going to do?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t just keep going to that shop. I feel worse when she doesn’t show up after I wait. And you know how much it bores me to wait.”

Wanda chuckled. “I have a feeling that you should go tomorrow. At 8:50 A.M. so you can reserve a table for when she walks in at 9.”

Pietro raised an eyebrow. “That is specific. What have you done?”

“You can’t trust my intuition?” Wanda smiled playfully.

“Intuition? You gained another power when I wasn’t around?”

“Maybe. You may not believe me, but I am very confident in my new power.”

“8:50 is when I should be there. And she will arrive at 9. You’re positive?”

“Faith brother. You need to put your faith in my ability to see into the future,” Wanda stated smugly.

“You aren’t a fortune teller, but I do appreciate whatever you did.”

Wanda scoffed. “Fine, next time I see the future I will not tell you about it. Do not come cry at me when you wish to know (Y/N)’s favorite color or flower.”

“You can find that out with your old powers,” Pietro wrapped his arm around Wanda’s shoulder.

Reading his mind, she sighed. “Go buy me some chocolate ice cream and I’ll tell you about the color and flower.”

Giving her a light kiss on top of her head, Pietro laughed at her grumpy expression. “I did not even ask about that.”

Smacking his shoulder, she stuck her tongue out at him. “No, you screamed it at me. Now go. When you get back, I’ll help you pick out what you should wear tomorrow.”

“Such a kind little sister. I am so lucky to…”

Wanda pointed at the door. “Brother. Go. Ice cream. Now.”

A faint echo of a laugh was all that could be heard as Pietro sped off. Wanda rubbed her temples and sighed. “I hope you have the patience to handle him (Y/N).”


	4. First Date

Straightening out your shirt, you glance at your phone. 8:57. A little early, but wasn’t being early a good thing?

_“Don’t get too excited. He might not even be there. If he doesn’t show up don’t be disappointed. Don’t be disappointed over a guy who is still practically a stranger. Okay.”_

Letting out a deep breath, you opened the door to the coffee shop. Refusing to look around like a lost idiot, you first ordered your drink. Peering down at your phone, you tried not to look around too much.

_“Probably isn’t here yet. Just grab your drink and find a seat. He might not even come.”_

Reaching into your wallet to pay the barista, you jumped when a hand landed on your shoulder. Turning your head slowly, you were greeted by bright-blue eyes and a wide smile.

“(Y/N), there you are. I was beginning to worry that you were avoiding me,” Pietro said.Reaching past you, Pietro handed the worker some money and handed you your drink.

“Oh, thank-you. You don’t have to pay for me,” you replied quickly and he chuckled.

“I’m not supposed to pay on the first date? Come on, I already have a table for us.”

Holding your hand, he guided you towards a secluded table in the back of the café. Pulling out a chair for you, you blushed when he took his seat across from you.

“Date?” You mumbled before taking a sip of your drink.

Pietro nodded. “Organized by my sister. Who I assume you have met?”

“Yeah, she came into the bookstore that I work at.”

Pietro’s face suddenly shifted and he looked wary. “And you two… talked?”

“Yeah, she told me…” Suddenly you remembered exactly what you had talked about with Wanda. Pietro talking about you so much to his twin that he annoyed her. Her being able to recognize you just from your appearance and name.

Staring down at the table, you took a sip of your drink. He probably didn’t know how much Wanda had told you. And now, sitting across from him, you were unsure if she had just exaggerated or if he really had talked about you that much.

“What did she say?” Pietro sounded exasperated.

Peeking up at him, you quickly looked back down at your drink. She had to have been exaggerating. He was just too good looking. No way that he had been so anxious to see you again.

“(Y/N)? Please, tell me. I am going to think that she has told you something embarrassing,” Pietro pleaded.

Glancing up at him, you shook your head. “No. Nothing embarrassing. She just told me to meet you here at this time,” you said quickly.

Pietro narrowed his eyes and you gulped. “Really? Are you sure that is all you talked about?”Pietro leaned forward.

Making eye contact, you felt your cheeks flush. Nodding rapidly, you felt relieved when he reclined back into his chair.

“Alright. I will believe you. Only because you are so cute when you blush.”

At this your cheeks felt even hotter. “So, Pietro. What do you do for a job? Or are you a student?” You asked trying to change the subject.

Pietro scratched his chin and gazed out the window. “Uh, I work in Stark Towers.”

“Really? What kind of work do you do there?”

Pietro paused and seemed to be thinking.His face was still directed towards the window, so you were able to get a better look at him. Since you had sat down, you hadn’t really had the chance to observe him. His hair was a little less wild today, but it still looked windswept. A blue v-neck which was tight enough to show some muscle definition. Which you appreciated. Hanging over the back of his chair was a grey knit cardigan. The table obstructed your view of his pants and shoes, but you were impressed by what you could see. He did look like someone dressed for a date.

Finally turning his face back towards you, he smiled when he caught you staring. You quickly took another sip of your drink to hide your smile.

“I work in the labs. I just do errands most of the time, but I feel like I am helping people.”

“You must be really smart to work there, though. Hey, have you ever met any of the Avengers?” You asked.

Your apartment had cost enough that you couldn’t afford a TV, but you would often hear people raving about them. Plus, you had only just moved to New York a few months ago, so you were not as up to date as others. Sometimes you would see articles in the newspaper, but those usually only contained interviews with Tony Stark. Maybe Pietro had met some of the heroes.

Pietro had a worried expression on his face. “Do you know a lot about the Avengers, (Y/N)?”

“No, not really. I know that Tony Stark is one. Oh, and Captain America. And the green guy that destroys a lot of buildings. I know there are others, but I’ve only really seen some stuff in newspapers,” you explained.

Pietro seemed to relax at this and his smile returned. “Yes, I have met some of them. Do you have an opinion on them?” Pietro asked.

“On the Avengers?”

“Yes.”

“I think it is good that they are protecting people. But…” You paused and sighed.

“But?” Pietro motioned for you to continue.

“Who protects them?”

Reaching across the table, Pietro put his hand over yours. Gazing up at him, he gave you a warm smile.

“You really are amazing, dragul meu.”

Biting your lip, you looked at his hand. “What does that mean?” You asked shyly.

Raising his hand to cup your cheek, he leaned forward. “Do you really wish to know?” He whispered.

He was still far enough away that you could take in his entire face. His nearness made your heart beat quicken. Gazing into his eyes you nodded.

Moving his hand to the back of your head, he brought your face closer to his. Just a few inches apart. “My love,” he murmured.

Your eyes widened in shock. “Love? But we still barely know each other. Aren’t you moving a little fast?”

Pietro smirked at this and gave you a peck on the cheek. Releasing you, he leaned back. “Too fast for you? I’m sorry if I scared you, but I am an impatient person. I don’t like to slow down my feelings.”

“What if your feelings are wrong?” You asked, slightly flustered by his response.

Pietro laughed. “Sometimes they are. But I am pretty confident this time.”

“Really?”

“(Y/N), I can’t slow down my feelings, but I am willing to wait for you to be as sure as I am. My impatient self is willing to make an exception and wait for you to catch up.”

“And if I don’t catch up?” You challenged, smirking at him.

“I’ll carry you.”


	5. Flowers on a Rainy Day

You hummed quietly to yourself as you unpacked new books for the store. The store was quiet today. The cold rain was likely keeping many people in their homes. Not a great summer shopping day. Yet, this gave you the chance to contemplate the whirlwind of events that had transpired these last few weeks. 

Since your first date with Pietro, your life was filled with either being with him or thinking about him. Usually just quick meet ups for breakfast, but they made you look forward to each new day. Yes, you were completely in the honeymoon phase and you were loving every bit of it. 

You had learned a lot about him and had even met up with Wanda again on a few occasions. Pietro taught you about Sokovia, his homeland, and you laugh him about the U.S. in return. Him also being new to the city made you feel less like an awkward outsider. 

Sure, you had made some great friends in NYC, but they had all lived here for so long. You often felt left out of inside jokes and didn’t want to annoyingly ask too many questions. Pietro and Wanda were also new, so you had the chance to really explore the city and observe its unique qualities. 

Hearing the door chime, you quickly moved to the front of the store. Surprisingly, no one was there. Had they mistakingly walked into the wrong place? Probably. 

About to turn back to work, you noticed something colorful on near the register. Walking over to the counter, you found a large bouquet of your favorite flowers. 

Glancing left and right, you couldn’t figure out where they had come from. You had gotten to the front of the store quickly. No one could have placed these and left that fast.

Picking up the bouquet, you lifted them to your face and sniffed. They smelled wonderful and you smiled down at the mystery gift.

Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around your waist. You jumped and were about to turn before you felt a chin settle on your shoulder.

“Do you like them draga? I thought you would like something colorful on such a rainy day,” the figure whispered into your ear.

Grinning, you turned your head and kissed Pietro on the cheek. “You spoil me too much. I told you to stop buying things for me. I do have a job.”

Nuzzling his face against your neck, he laughed. You shivered as you felt his breath on your neck, but he didn’t seem to notice. “I told you, my job pays very well. If you would let me, I would buy you everything you want. A bigger apartment. A TV. A bigger bed…” he trailed off suggestively.

Your face flushed and you pulled away. Yes, you had slept in the same bed as him, but it had only been once and you hadn’t had sex. He had just stayed late and there was a storm that night. You had been a good host and shared your bed since the couch was not very large or comfy. 

Pietro had fallen asleep on your couch a few times previously and you knew that it was uncomfortable for him. Mostly because he would drift on and fall asleep on your shoulder or in your lap while you were reading. The awkward positions would obviously cause neck and back aches. He had warned he would love fast, but that would have been too fast. 

Frowning at his smirking face, you sighed. “You know, if my bed is so small, why don’t you ever invite me to your place?” You challenged.

Pietro scratched the back of his head and looked away from you. “I told you, I live in the tower. Civilians are not allowed on the bedroom floors.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Civilians? You mean non-employees?”

Pietro’s eyes widened before he quickly nodded. “Yes. Sorry, you know my English still needs improving.”

“Your English is fine. Actually, I’ve noticed how much is has improved since we first started dating. What are you hiding?”

“Nothing. I just do not want to be fired if I do not follow the rules,” Pietro replied quickly.

“Is that why you won’t let me visit you at work? Non-employees aren’t even allowed to visit?”

“Stark builds very secretive technology. It would be bad for someone who is not an employee to come in and possibly steal from the company.”

“Steal from the company that is inhabited by Avengers? The security is that worried?” You asked.

“(Y/N), can we please not talk about my work right now? I came to visit you on this rainy day and brought you your favorite flowers. Please, let us talk about something else,” Pietro pouted at you.

Sighing, you shrugged. “Fine, but we will have to talk about this eventually. You are always so guarded whenever we talk about your job.”

“For good reason, but let us move on. Do you like your flowers?” Pietro asked.

Gazing down at the bouquet you were still holding, you nodded. “They are beautiful. How did you know my favorite flower though? I am positive I never told you.”

Pietro smiled widely. “I have my sources.”

“But, I didn’t tell Wanda either. What did you do?”

Taking the bouquet from you, he set them back onto the counter. Holding your hands in his, he stared down at you.

“I wanted to surprise you. Something nice since you make me so happy. I promise I did not do anything illegal to find out.”

You chuckled. “I wasn’t accusing you of being a criminal. Though, your mischievous side can be a bit much. Always sneaking up and scaring me. Your going to give me a heart attack some day.”

Pietro smirked and leaned forward to kiss you gently. “Forgive me? I promise to be good.”

Leaning forward yourself, you kissed him again with a little more force. “Fine, but only because you are a good kisser.”

Pietro laughed against your lips as he rested his hands on your hips. “That is the only reason you like me?”

Smirking at him, you decided to have a little fun. “And you have nice muscles.”

“Draga.”

“And your accent is pretty hot.”

“Draga”

“You’re also rich.”

“(Y/N)…” Pietro whined.

“And I guess you are also super sweet and nice and caring and charming and funny,” you listed as you grinned at him.

“You guess?”

“Yeah. I guess. The main reason I’m dating you though is because your hot. Didn’t you know that?” You teased and he stuck his tongue out at you.

“So you would break up with me if I stopped being hot?” He laughed when you seemed to consider the option.

“No, because you would still be rich. And you know how much I loooooooove guys with money,” you exaggerated. Raising an eyebrow at him, you waited for him to reply with his own witty response, but he merely smiled.

He kissed your forehead and mumbled against it. “Good to know I have two things that make me so appealing to you.” Moving his hands, he pulled you flush against him.

With your face against his chest, you snuggled into it. “And this. I like how this feels. Your so warm. And your heartbeat is always so fast.”

Kissing your hair, he let his head rest on top of yours. “Have you caught up yet, draga? Have you caught up to my feelings yet?” He whispered. 

Pulling away just enough so you could stare at his face, you smiled. Reaching up to cup his chin, your thumb rubbed gentle circles against his cheek. Pietro gave a sigh of contentment and his eyes drifted shut. 

Moving your other hand to the back of his neck, you pulled him down slightly so you could reach him. Giving him a light kiss, you whispered on his lips. “I think I’ve caught up, Pietro. Or am I supposed to say dragul meu?”


	6. Stew and Kisses

“Soooooo hungry,” Pietro whined from the couch. 

Stirring the pot again, you sighed. “Well, you were the one who wanted me to make beef stew.” 

You heard footsteps approach and he wrapped his arms around his waist. “Because it is so cold outside. And you told me I could have what I wanted since I wasn’t feeling well.”

Laughing, you wriggled out of his arms to check on the toast. Pulling those onto a plate, you handed it to him. “Go put this on the table and be patient.”

Pietro pouted at you, but followed directions. Ladling some soup into two bowls, you carefully carried them over to the table. “Plus, I wasn’t expecting you to request stew. You should have picked something I could make faster.”

Pietro was already scooping soup into his mouth, but quickly stopped and looked up at you. “But your beef stew is really good. I did not know it took so long to make. And, I am in soooo much pain.”

You rolled your eyes. “You aren’t even sick. You just slipped on some ice outside. If you were in that much pain, you should have gone to see a doctor.”

After being away for two weeks on a surprise business trip, Pietro had returned earlier today quite beaten up. When you first saw him with bruises and bandages, you had immediately been concerned. Explaining that he had just not been careful and had managed to fall face forward due to some ice, you had been slightly relieved. Still, you had fallen before and had never looked that bad. Yet Pietro continued to elaborate how he hadn’t just fallen, but it had been the worst fall possible. You felt like he may have been covering something up, but you were unsure. Maybe the real accident had been more embarrassing, but you didn’t feel like bothering him about it. 

Pietro scoffed. “Doctor? I’m fine,” he stated as he continued eating.

Smiling at him, you fake sighed. “Well, if you are already better…”

Pietro paused and stared up at you. “Draga?”

“I guess you don’t need me baby you,” you continued eating, but kept your eyes on him.

“Baby me? What did you have planned?” Pietro questioned, smiling wide.

“Kisses to make you feel better. Cuddling. Letting you sleep over, even though you hog the bedsheets,” you winked at him when he stuck his tongue out.

“Actually draga, I think I am still in a little bit of pain.”

“Really? Where?” You took his empty bowl from him and put both dishes in the sink. 

Turning back to Pietro, you chuckled when you saw him pouting. Walking over, you settled yourself onto his legs. “Where are you still hurting Pietro?”

Keeping up his pout, he pointed to his cheek. You kissed it. Then his neck. Which you kissed a few times. Then his mouth. This kiss was much longer and you could feel his smile. 

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you snuggled your face into his chest. “I missed you. You aren’t going to have a lot of these surprise business trips, right?”

Pietro sighed. Looking up at him, you saw his frown. “I don’t know (Y/N). These trips can not be planned for, they just happen. And I have to go when I am needed.”

“You aren’t going to be gone next month, right? You did say we would do something special for our six month anniversary,” you said.

Wow, six months. It felt weird saying it, but here you were. Except for when he was on his business trips, Pietro had pretty much moved in with you last month. Most of his clothing was here, along with his some of his massive shoe collection, which you teased him about. For someone who didn’t have much clothing, he had twice the amount of shoes as you.

Pietro hadn’t officially moved in, but you had come to expect him. Usually he would come pick you up from work and you two would grab either groceries or take out for dinner. Pietro would still whine about the small space and the lack of TV, but he had been placated when you agreed to do Netflix movie nights with him on your laptop. The months had flown past and you couldn’t be happier with what was happening.

Carrying you bridal style to the couch, he layed down with you on top of him. Gazing up at you, he pushed a stray piece of your hair back behind your ear. “I promise we will do something special. You know I am just as exciting as you are. Even if I have to work harder before, I promise that will be a day just for us. You already told your boss?”

You nodded. “Yep, she knows and already has someone filling in for me. Does your boss know?”

Pietro looked sheepish at your question. “I haven’t quite told him yet, but I promise to tomorrow.”

You frowned. “You didn’t have a chance to tell him in the last two weeks? Tony Stark is your boss and you went on the trip with him, right?”

“Yes, but it wasn’t just us two. The team was very busy, so I did not talk with anyone about vacation time,” Pietro explained.

“Anyone? You have to tell all of your co-workers you are taking a day off? Not just Stark?”

Pietro sat up slowly, keeping you on his lap. “I’ll ask tomorrow. Can we just go to bed? The trip was exhausting.”

Observing the dark bags under his eyes, you rubbed his shoulder. “Okay, sweetie. Did something happen? You look really worn out.”

Lifting you up again, he carried you to the bedroom. Grinning down at you, he replied. “I’m fine. See, I could carry you for miles. I think it is just tiredness from the plane.” You nodded, but hoped he would hurry as he looked ready to drop.

Setting you down gently, he fell onto bed next to you. He was so exhausted looking and you felt bad for bothering him about talking to Stark. 

Prompting him to sit up, you stripped him to his boxers, before gently pushing him back down. Pulling the sheets onto him, you could tell how he was already beginning to drift off. Going to the bathroom, you prepared yourself for bed.

Returning to the bedroom, you shut off the lights before climbing in next to him. It was a bit tight, but the closeness was welcome after being apart for two weeks. As you settled in, you immediately felt Pietro’s arm pull you tight against him. Smiling against his chest, you rested your head there. Listening to his fast heartbeat under you, you slowly drifted off as well.


	7. Lies

Stretching your arms out, you frowned when all you felt was sheets. Slowly opening your eyes, they landed on a slip of paper. Groaning to yourself, you didn’t even bother looking at it before getting out of bed.

Ever since Pietro got back, he was constantly leaving. Often before you woke up. Always leaving a note saying he’d be back soon. You sighed as you walked to the kitchen. Back soon could mean anything. A few hours or the entire day. 

He would get a text and be off, saying how busy he was at work. Could they really do that to their employees? Just call them randomly and expect them. Without warning and for however long. You had asked Pietro, but he would just say how important it was. 

Pouring yourself some juice, you glanced around the room. It just felt so… Empty. Was he really working? What if he was cheating?

No, Pietro wouldn’t. You just needed to trust him. Talk to him when he got home. You two just hadn’t had a chance to talk. Everything would be alright. Everything would be fine. Pietro was just a hard worker. Every couple had difficulties and you two would get through this. Just needed to talk.

It had been three days since you had heard from Pietro and you were freaking out. You had texted him so many times, but never a response. Called, but it went to voicemail. You had tried to contact Wanda, but she also didn’t respond. Calling Stark Towers, they had told you information about Pietro was classified. Pacing around your apartment, you reread the note he had left.

“Have to go to work early. Be back soon. -Pietro.”

No indication of when he was returning. Or where he was. Should you call the police? No, first you should go to Stark Towers. Maybe one of his coworkers would know. Yes, that would work. Do that.

Grabbing a coat, you hurried to pull on your shoes when you hear the door open. Standing in the doorway was Pietro. Due to the bruising, his nose looked broken. He also seemed to have a cut lip and bruises along his arms.   
Dropping your shoes, you just stared at him. Smiling at you, he walked over. Frowning, you backed away from him until he stopped approaching.

“(Y/N)? Are you okay?” He asked cautiously. Holding his arms out towards you, he lowered them when you shook your head.

“Where have you been?” You asked slowly.

“Work. Didn’t you read the note?” 

“Pietro you’ve been gone for three days. Where have you been?” You asked again.

Pietro ran his fingers through his hair before sighing. “Draga, I’m really tired. Could we talk about this later?”

“No! Tell me the truth right now!” You shouted at him. How dare he try to ignore the situation.

“(Y/N), you’re shaking,” Pietro stated as he approached again. This time you didn’t move as he came closer. Holding your hands, he stared down at you.

“Pietro. Tell me. Where have you been?” You asked more quietly.

“Work.”

Ripping your hands away, you wrapped your arms around yourself. “Stop lying. What kind of job just calls you randomly and keeps you for three days? Without letting you go? And you come back injured! Pietro, tell me the truth right now.”

Shaking his head, he sighed again. “I am telling you the truth. I was working. It was a longer job than it was supposed to be, but I was working.”

“You didn’t reply to my calls or texts.”

“I was working.”

“You didn’t have a second to tell me you were okay? Pietro, you are lying.” You felt tears begin to well up, but you bit your lip. Watching you, Pietro’s frown deepened.

Pulling you towards him, Pietro wrapped his arms around you. “Please don’t cry. Shhh, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry, (Y/N).”

Being closer to him, you tried to calm yourself, but you couldn’t. Sobbing against his chest, you continued to cry for a while. 

Finally calming down, Pietro noticed and released you. “Are you alright, draga?”

“No. Pietro, can I ask something else?”

He looked guarded, but nodded slowly.  
“Pietro, are you cheating on me?” You whispered.

Pietro’s eyes widened before he grinned. “What? Is that what you are so worried about? I would never cheat on you. I love you more than anything. I promise you that I am not cheating on you.”

Feeling slightly relieved at his answer, you continued. “So, you haven’t forgotten about me?”

“No, of course not. I could never,” Pietro assured you.

“Then…” you trailed off, not sure how to say this.

“What is it?”

Sighing, you stared down at your feet. You wanted this to be over, but you were still hurting. He needed to know, since he obviously seemed confused. Staring up into his eyes, you began.

“Pietro, what day is it today?”

Pietro furrowed his eyebrows. “Um, July…” he paused, “Oh no, our anniversary. Draga I am so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to the date. I’ll make it up to you I promise. You know how much you mean to me.”

Shaking your head, you turned away from him. “Prove it.”

“How? I’ll do anything.” Pietro pleaded.

“Anything?” You asked still turned away.

“Anything. I promise.”

Turning back towards him, you took in a deep breath. “Tell me the truth. If you weren’t cheating on me, where have you been? I do not believe your answer. Be more specific.”

Crossing his arms, Pietro didn’t make eye contact with you. Instead, he seemed to stare at the wall behind you. “It was a surprise business trip in Europe. I wasn’t able to contact you because of how bad the service was.”

“Pietro. Say that again. Except look me in the eyes when you do,” you demanded.

Eyes locking on yours, Pietro’s jaw tightened. “I was on a business trip in Europe where there was bad service,” Pietro replied, annunciating each word. He seemed to visibly struggle with standing so still ad you examined his eyes.

“And all the other times? All of the other times you randomly got called in for an entire day? Where do you go then?” You questioned.

Pietro ran a hand through his hair and groaned. “Why can’t you just believe me? What do I have to do? I’m sorry I forgot about our anniversary, but I will make it up to you. Can we please just go to bed?”  
“Not until I know the truth.” 

“I’ve told you everything I can! Why are you making this all about you? Don’t you realize how important my job is?” Pietro snapped.

Holding your ground, you snapped back. “No! Because you’ve never told me anything about your job! You work in Stark Tower. You go on random business trips. You maybe help out in the lab? You’ve never told me what your job is. Of course I don’t know how important it is!”

“Then, just trust me when I say I’m doing something important.”

“Can’t you see, Pietro? I can’t trust you when you hide things from me.”

“Have you ever thought there may be a reason I’m hiding things from you? I’m protecting you!” Pietro shouted.

“Protecting me from what?” You shouted back. 

Pietro just shook his head and stormed towards the bedroom. “You don’t understand.”

Feeling tears well up in your eyes, you didn’t follow him. Hearing a door slam shut, you realized he must have gone to take a shower. 

Crying, you sat down on the couch. 

Could you really trust him? No, of course not. He had admitted to hiding things from you. Admitted to lying. Did you love him? Of course. But could you keep doing this? Constantly being insecure. Constantly feeling suspicious and paranoid. No. 

Wiping the tears from your eyes, you went into the kitchen and grabbed a few garbage bags. Walking around the apartment, you began to gather up Pietro’s things. Leaving a bag by the door, you went into the bedroom.

Luckily, Pietro was still in the bathroom. Walking to the closet, you began to pile his things into the second bag. Clothes. Shoes. Anything that was his. 

As you continued, you heard the shower turn off. Leaving out some fresh clothes for him on the bed, you dragged the second bag to the front door. 

Sitting down on the couch, you mentally prepared yourself. Taking a few deep breathes, you heard him call out your name from the bedroom. A few more deep breathes as you walked to the room. Standing in the doorframe, you gazed at him.

Hair still slightly dripping, he was staring at the opened closet. Noticing the emptiness. Turning towards you, he looked so confused.

“I just have to grab the remaining stuff from the bathroom. Then, all of your stuff is waiting for you at the front door.” Walking into the bathroom, you gathering up his towel and placed all of his things on top of it. Carrying the load into the living room, Pietro just slowly followed you.  
Placing the items near the bags, you stare down at them. “I’m not going to put those into one of the bags since they are still wet. Wouldn’t want mold…”

“(Y/N). What are you doing?” Pietro finally asked.

“I can’t trust you. You hide things from me and lie. So, I am ending this before you lie to me more.” 

“Draga…” 

You winced. “Please don’t call me that. Just take your stuff and go. Please leave your key.”

“No. No, (Y/N). I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please don’t do this. You don’t understand. I’m just trying to protect you,” Pietro pleaded.

“Please, just leave,” you mumbled.

Rushing over to you, Pietro pulled you tight against him. “No. No. I love you. I need you. Please. I don’t want this.”

Struggling against him, you groaned when he didn’t release you. “Let go. I can’t be with you.”

Pietro pulled away, but just to get on his knees and gaze up at you. “I’ll tell you the truth. I promise.”

Shaking your head, you frowned down at him. “I don’t care anymore. You’ll have still lied to me. No matter what you say, you lied. A lot. I need to be with someone I can trust. That isn’t you. Please, Pietro. It’s over.”


	8. A Month

The breakup had been… difficult to say the least. You had tried to act as if nothing had happened. Go to work. Act cheerful. Hang out with friends. Tell them you were fine. Cook, clean, read, anything. Anything to keep your mind off of the breakup. 

Pietro certainly wasn’t making it easy on you. The next day, he had tried calling you several times, until you eventually just turned your phone off. Only to check later and see that he had also left a ton of texts. Sighing, you just deleted them all and went to bed.

A week had passed and he would still try to contact you, just not as much. A text a day. Asking if you were alright or if you would be willing to talk. A few times you had debated replying, but held your ground. Forgiving him wouldn’t erase all the lies he had told. So, you would routinely delete each message.

That was when he started to get creative. He would call from different numbers. You had learned of his plan when you answered once and heard his voice. Angrily, you had hung up before he could continue. 

Wanda had also begun contacting you. You had actually replied to her, but only once. Only to tell her that you were still upset and that she couldn’t fix it.

Yet, even with all of these attempts, Pietro never came to meet you in person. He could have easily come to your workplace to bother you or waited outside the apartment. You wondered about this distance. Would you be more likely to forgive him if he came to talk to you in person? Possibly. But he hadn’t. While contacting you almost everyday, Pietro had not come to see you in person once. 

Three weeks since the breakup and you were definitely starting to adjust. You weren’t anywhere near ready to start dating again, but you also weren’t moping around your apartment. Hanging out more with your friends, trying different hobbies, and taking care of yourself. 

Pietro still texted, but you had begun to just accept it. It was easier to ignore, since it was just typed words. No emotional attachment to words typed onto your screen. And the texts were always short. Just a quick ask about your day or if you were doing alright. The only weird thing was when they would be sent. You would often wake in the morning to see he had sent the text hours before. Or he would ask you what you were planning to do that day even though it was night. Maybe there was something wrong with his phone or service because his messages never seemed to come at a normal time. 

A month. A month and you were actually doing okay. You couldn’t believe there had been a time in your life that you thought that you would have been with Pietro forever. Your friends had set you up on a blind date. He had been nice, but a little boring. Still, it had been nice to go out again.

Saying goodnight to your date, you headed into your apartment. Quickly switching into something more comfortable, you lounged on your couch. Picking up a nearby book, you began to read.

Quietly enjoying your book, you jumped when you heard a loud boom. Going towards the window, you saw nothing unusual. At first. Suddenly, the sky seemed to fill with lightning and bolts crashed down illuminating what was happening on the streets. 

Figures wearing dark clothing were running through the street. Following behind them were several tanks and other intimidating looking machines. As you gazed down at it, you saw things flying through the sky. Unable to make out much, you saw Iron Man shoot at the objects.

Hearing sirens, you realized that you probably needed to get somewhere safer. Running to your room, you quickly grabbed a jacket and your shoes. Pulling those on, you did a quick scan of your apartment. Grabbing your phone, you paused when you saw a bright beam of light. 

A huge boom occurred above you. Bits of the ceiling began to crumble down and you could see fire. Running towards the door, you heard a crack. The ceiling above the door caved and you jumped back. Fire and debris blocking the exit. Covering your face to not inhale smoke, you ran towards the window. Opening it, you yelled out.

“Help! Someone help! I can’t get out!” You shouted. Hoping someone, anyone could hear your.

The ceiling above you began to buckle and you screamed. Covering your head with your hands, you jumped out of the way. The ceiling that had fallen, however, landed on your legs. Trying to pull them free, you gritted your teeth at the pain. 

Your legs were trapped and you were quickly running out of breathable air. The smoke was filling the room fast and the open window wasn’t helping.

Just as you began to lose consciousness, you felt cold metal grab you. Metal? You must be hallucinating. 

“Hold on, I’ll get you out of here,” a man said. You wanted to cry out in relief when you felt your legs behind freed. Lifted up gently, your whole body seemed to rejoice when you felt cool air around you. “I got someone. She’s pretty bad. I’m taking her back to the tower to get attention. Hold them off for a minute.” 

You wanted to ask who he was and who he was talking to, but you couldn’t even open your eyes to see his face. You continued to struggle with trying to remain conscious, but you were so tired. 

Before you passed out, you felt yourself being placed onto something soft. And you could have sworn you heard someone crying.


	9. The Truth

“When will she wake up?” 

“You gotta give her time. That had to have stressed her out. Plus, the pain medication she got was pretty strong. Let her sleep. She’ll be fine, Speedy.”

“I should have been there. I should have saved her.”

“Hey, nothing you can do. If you hadn’t been bugging the crap out of the team, you wouldn’t even be here right now.”

“I never should have lied to her.”

“That wouldn’t have stopped her from getting hurt.”

“Stark, she’s going to wake up soon, right?”

“Yes, now chill out. You should be thinking of what you’ll say once she’s up.”

“What if she doesn’t want to talk to me?”

“Eh, Pepper gets like that too. I mean, you might have it worse. You have been apart for a while.”

“At least she is okay. Thank-you. For saving her.”

“Don’t get all sappy on me. Save it for her. And stop running around. You’ll trip and mess up some of the equipment.”

“I can’t help it. I hate just waiting for her to wake up.”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., got a status report on (Y/N)?”

“Miss (Y/N)’s heart rate and breathing patterns have stabilized. Both legs broken, but no irreversible damage. Minor dehydration, which is currently being treated. Burns across the body, which were already treated with the Cradle.”

“See, Speedy. She’ll be fine. I’m going to go. Make sure he eats something today, F.R.I.D.A.Y., okay?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. See ya, Sonic.”

“Bye, Stark.”

The room felt too warm. No. Hot! The room was on fire. You had to get out of here. You felt yourself struggle, but your legs wouldn’t move. The fire! It was getting closer. Too close. 

“Help…” You tried to yell out, but your voice was too weak. You tried to struggled, but your whole body felt too heavy. You felt something grab your arm and you panicked more.

“Draga! Draga, calm down. (Y/N), it’s okay. It’s just a nightmare. I’m right here. Open your eyes. I’m here. Everything’s okay. You’re safe. I promise,” a voice called to you.

Opening your eyes slowly, you quickly shut them when you were blinded by lights. 

“Too bright? F.R.I.D.A.Y., can you lower the lights?” 

After hearing this, you slowly opened your eyes again. This time, they were able to adjust much more quickly to the dimmer room. Blinking your eyes a few times, you turned your head towards the voice.

“Pietro?” You croaked out. Your voice was scratchy and your throat felt too dry. You winced as you tried to swallow. 

“Are you in pain? Do you need anything? More painkillers?” He asked, concern etched onto his face.

“Water.” Was all you could manage to say. In a flash, Pietro placed a glass in your hand. Your startled eyes must have exposed your confusion because he shook his head.

“Drink this first. Then, I’ll explain,” Pietro replied. As you struggled to lift the cup to your lips, he sighed sadly. Gently placing a hand behind your neck, he helped you closer to the cup. Taking a few large gulps, you felt relieved when the cold liquid trickled down your dry throat.

Helping you to finish the glass, Pietro slowly lowered your head back down. Taking the empty glass away, he was back before you could blink. Instead of standing like before, he kneeled.

Holding your left hand in both of his, he hid his face on top of it. With his face pressed against the mattress, you began to worry. Was he going to talk? Or just stay like that?

You reached over with your right hand to poke his head. Glancing up, his tear filled eyes focused on the machine to the right of you. Finally being able to focus on his face, you could see how distressed he was. His eyes were red and his hair disheveled. Dark circles were under his eyes. His stubble was actually beginning to turn into a beard. He even looked a little thinner. 

“How long was I?” You asked, gazing at him. His whole being seemed to be exhausted. “You should maybe sit down, you don’t look so good.”

Letting go of your hand, he brought a chair over to where he had been. Flopping down into it, he covered his face. “12 hours,” he moaned. His legs began to move up and down nervously. 

Wait. “12 hours? That’s it? Then, why do you look so?” 

He let out a humorless laugh. “I just got back from a mission yesterday. I was going to go and visit you, but then there was another attack. And then you… You almost…” Jumping out of his chair, Pietro held himself with his arms. Shaking, he almost seemed to turn blue as he stood there. His eyes stayed locked on your hand and that was when you realized.

“Pietro, look at me.” You realized he hadn’t made eye contact since you woke up. He was avoiding your eyes.

“I can’t,” he replied. “If I had gone straight to see you… I was going to see you as soon as I got back, but I didn’t… I didn’t know what to say. You were still mad at me. I lied to you. How was I supposed to get you to talk to me? I was worrying and… and then the sirens went off. Had to do the mission first. They weren’t even close to your apartment when we started. Don’t know how they got over there so fast. I was too far away. If Stark hadn’t… If he hadn’t gotten to you…” Pietro was sobbing and you struggled to understand him. 

“Pietro, I’m okay.”

“No. No, you aren’t. You are stuck in that bed and you won’t be able to walk right for so long. You feel fine because of the medication, but when it starts to hurt… You’ll be in so much pain. I couldn’t protect you. I was supposed to protect you. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” Pietro kept repeating himself, over and over again. Almost chanting his apology.

“Pietro.” No use. He just couldn’t seem to calm down. You couldn’t do much being trapped in the bed, so you sighed. Maybe someone else could help.

“Pietro, is Wanda here?” You asked and he seemed to stop for a second. Staring down at the floor, he shook his head. 

“No. They made me leave the mission early. They were annoyed because I was more focused on you. They shouldn’t be back for another week. The only one’s who are here are Stark, Thor, and Bruce.”

You nodded, thinking to yourself. “So, when you say mission? What do you mean exactly? I don’t want to guess and be wrong about this.”

Inhaling a shaky breath, Pietro finally returned to the seat near you. Still refusing to look at you, he instead stared up at the ceiling. “I lied to you to try to protect you. I thought if you didn’t know, nothing could come and hurt you. I didn’t want you to be constantly worried or to be near anything dangerous. I thought lying to you would keep you safe…”

“Pietro. What did you lie about?” 

“I’m an Avenger. Wanda and I joined about a year ago. I was so happy when you didn’t know that was who I was. At first, I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to treat me differently. Then, I didn’t want to admit that I had lied to you. I kept telling myself that it was to protect you, but I think I just lied to protect myself. I’m so sorry. I never wanted this to happen to you. This is all my fault. I should have been there to save you.” Pietro’s voice cracked as he rested his head on the mattress again. 

Lifting your left hand, you placed it on top of his head. Running your hands through his hair, you stared at his shaky form. “So, super speed? At least, that is what I’m guessing from how fast you got my water.”

“Yeah.” His voice was muffled by the bed, but you could still hear him. 

“I always wondered how you managed to sneak up on me all the time.”

“You wouldn’t have wondered if I had just been honest,” he mumbled.

“Pietro…” you began, but then the door opened.

“Ah, our favorite new patient is awake! How are you feeling?” Coming quickly up to the end of your bed, you were surprised to see the famous Tony Stark.

“Um, I’m feeling alright, I guess,” you stated, feeling startled. 

He grinned widely at you. “You know, I was the one who saved you,” Tony said, staring at Pietro, whose face was still hidden. Pietro’s shoulders seemed to tense up, but he stayed where he was.

You’re eyebrows lifted in surprise. “Really? I was saved by Iron Man? That’ll be quite the story to tell when I say how I got injured.”

Tony nodded. “Yep and brought you to get the finest medical treatment in the world. You’ll be perfect in no time. It would have been quicker, but Cho’s cradle hasn’t really been tested on bones, so we didn’t want to test it on you first. Sorry.” 

You shrugged. “No, I’m really grateful that you are doing all of this for me. And thank-you so much for saving me.”

“Of course, my dear. And if Speedy doesn’t get his act together, I can comfort you through your healing process,” Tony winked at you and you laughed.

Pietro groaned, but didn’t talk. 

“Well, it seems like he still needs a little more time. I’ll come check up on you later, (Y/N).”

“Thank-you,” you called out as he left.

Gazing back down at Pietro, he did seem calmer. He wasn’t shaking anymore, but he had been silent the entire time Tony had been there. Taking your hand off his hair, you rested it back on the bed.

“Pietro, are you going to say anything? Or should I just go back to sleep? I am still pretty tired.”

Finally turning his head, he stared at your hand. “What can I say? I don’t want to lose you again.”

“Tell me the truth. Look me in the eyes and tell me whatever you need to tell me. I promise to listen. Mostly because I have to, since I can’t easily move,” you joked, but he didn’t even smirk.

Getting up, he moved so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Taking your hand, he finally looked you in the eyes. His own began to water again slightly, but you smiled at him.

“Go ahead.”

Taking a deep breath in, he nodded. “I am an Avenger. I lied to you and I have regretted it. Every day since you kicked me out, I’ve wanted to go back to you. Beg you to forgive me. I wasn’t able to focus on the mission because I kept thinking about you. I kept hoping that you would respond. That one time that I called with Clint’s phone and you answered… I’m sorry I tricked you, but I was so happy to hear your voice. To hear that you were okay. When I saw your building on fire, I wanted to run in. If Stark hadn’t gotten you, I would’ve run in to get you. My heart broke when I saw you. You were so… so… I thought I was going to lose you. I can’t lose you. I love you. Please forgive me,” the tears ran down Pietro’s cheeks as he finished speaking. 

Reaching up, you placed a hand on his cheek. Wiping away some of the tears with your thumb, he leaned into your touch. Eyes staring right at you, he was so lost. So scared. You felt tears begin to pool in the corners of your own eyes. 

Seeing you cry, Pietro leaned down to kiss your forehead. “Please don’t cry, draga. Please, just tell me what you want. If you want me to leave, I can. I don’t want to, but I’ll do whatever you ask. Just please tell me,” he whispered against your forehead.

“You still lied to me,” you mumbled and he leaned back. His eyes showed his hurt, but he nodded.

“I understand,” he said quickly. As he began to move, you grabbed his wrist.

“But I don’t want you to leave. It will take some time. For me to fully trust you again and we have been apart for a month. But, I don’t want you to leave.”

Pietro’s eyes shined brightly as he gazed down at you. “You’re giving me a second chance?” He asked slowly.

You nodded. “Only this one. From now on, no more lies. And we don’t immediately get to go back to where we left off. We have been broken up for a month.You have to put some effort into this if you want it to work.”

Smiling widely at you, he leaned down close to your face. “Am I still allowed to kiss you?” He whispered. You could feel his breath against your lips and you smirked.

“I guess, but don’t get too cocky. I’m not going to make this easy for you,” you replied.

“I can live with that. As long as I can still have this. As long as I can still have you.” Pietro’s lips on yours, you could feel his smiled against your lips. Kissing you softly, he murmured against you. “I love you so much. I promise to protect you from now on.”


	10. Chains

“Good news, (Y/N)! You don’t have to stay in this hospital bed much longer. Bad news is that you need to leave those casts on for a month and then you’ll be doing physical therapy,” Tony stated.

“Thank-you so much for everything you’ve done, Tony. I really do appreciate it,” you said. 

You had been in the hospital wing of the tower for the last week. The stay hadn’t been too bad though. Tony would usually visit at some point of the day asking if you wanted anything else installed into the room. He had already installed a TV in the room and had given you a new laptop, since he stated your old one was… Well, he had not been nice to it.

On the second day, you had met Thor. Although quite intimidating in size, you quickly learned how sweet of a person/ god he was. Each day after, he would check in and teach you different things about Asgard, his home. The stories seemed unbelievable, but you were talking with a god. 

Bruce was more shy, having only come in a few times. He had been dragged in to meet you by Thor, but he hadn’t had much to say. You were incredibly shocked to learn that the quiet doctor was the one who turned into the Hulk. Bruce had come out of his shell a little bit when him and Tony had been discussing making you a wheelchair. Although you had wanted to tell them a regular wheelchair would have been fine, they both had looked so excited. You didn’t want to be the person to spoil their fun.

The other Avengers were expected to be back any day now. Some problems with extreme weather was extending their stay, but it was a nice break for them. Wanda had called at one point to check on how you were and you had missed her voice. Since your original split from Pietro, you hadn’t had a chance to talk with his twin. She apologized profusely for going along with Pietro’s lies, but you were quick to forgive her. Well, you had teased her a little bit by acting offended that she had read your mind. When she started to sound panicked, you had laughed and could picture her pouting on the other end.

Pietro had been… Well, Pietro was getting to be too much. Almost every second you were awake, he was there. Even when he had to go to the bathroom or take a shower, he would be gone for a minute at most. Using his super speed, he would bring you anything you even thought about asking for. Thirsty? You would have a drink in your hands before you could even finish asking. Hungry? An entire array of food would be spread out before you while your stomach was still growling. 

To be honest, it had started out nice. But now, a week later, you were starting to feel strange. Never really any moment for you to collect your thoughts. He would sit to the side when others came to visit you, but he would still be watching. Tony had luckily gotten the staff to bring in another mattress, so Pietro wouldn’t sleep on the floor. You knew you would have to tell him, but you were unsure how. You didn’t want to sound rude or ungrateful, but you couldn’t keep going like this. Especially if Pietro planned to continue being like this for the entire time you still were in your casts. And for however long after that.

“Hey, you okay?” Tony asked. You jumped, slightly startled. You had zoned out so much that you hadn’t realized that Tony was still in the room.

Rushing to you from his chair, Pietro placed a hand on your forehead. “Are you not feeling well? Is something wrong?”

You sighed and pushed his hand away. “I’m fine, Pietro,” you responded sharply. 

His eyes showed he was hurt by your tone, but he didn’t say anything. You sighed and patted his arm. “I’m fine, really. I just have a small headache.”

“Should I get you anything? Water? Medicine? What do you need?” Pietro asked.

“I think she needs some quiet time, Speedy,” Tony chimed in. Locking eyes with the genius, he winked. You smiled and wanted to thank him, but couldn’t without making Pietro suspicious.

“Oh, okay. I’ll just go sit…”

Tony held his hand up to stop him. “No, Speedy. I think (Y/N) would like some quiet time. Alone,” Tony stated, adding emphasis to alone. 

Pietro’s eyebrows raised and he frowned. “What? Why would you think that? (Y/N), is that what you want?”

You nodded, feeling a little guilty. “Just like an hour. If that’s okay,” you added, watching his shoulders tense up.

“Of course it is okay. I didn’t mean to bother you,” he replied quickly before exiting the room in a flash.

You sighed and glanced over at Tony. “I know he is doing it because he cares, but I’m going insane. But I didn’t want to hurt his feelings.”

Tony shrugged. “People need time to themselves. I’m sure he’ll cool off and realize that. Just tell him that you need some space. But maybe don’t phrase it like that.”

Chuckling, you nodded. “Yeah, I know. Can you maybe send Banner to check on him? I don’t want him to be stubborn and angry when he comes back.”

“Banner? Not me?” Tony teased.

“You would just end up making it worse. The only reason he likes you now is because you saved me. He still rolls his eyes at most of the things you say.”

“Progress. For what happened to their parents… I’m willing to work a little extra. But only a little bit. Plus, pleasing him has become a walk in the park. I just have to spoil you and you are incredibly easy to deal with.”

You stuck out your tongue at him. “That’s because I’m stuck in a bed and can’t turn away the stuff you bring into this room.”

“What did you say? I’m sorry, I can’t hear you as I am walking away right now,” Tony hummed as he walked out and you laughed.

“Make sure you talk to Banner!” You shouted. You thought you heard an answer, but you weren’t sure. 

Scanning the room, you were finally able to fully relax. Knowing that Pietro might be a little upset with you, you sighed. Yet, you needed this. Normal couples didn’t spend every single second together. Sure, he was a superhero, but that didn’t mean that the two of you couldn’t have a normal relationship. Turning on some calming music, you grabbed a tablet Tony had given you. You still preferred physical books, but these ebooks would do. Especially because you didn’t want to deal with the headache of explaining to Tony your preference.

Finishing another chapter, you tapped the screen. The clock appeared and you frowned. Weird, Pietro had been gone for three hours. You had been expecting him to burst through the door the minute an hour had passed. Maybe Banner or Tony had talked to him about you both needing some space. 

As your stomach growled, you laughed. It was very obvious that Pietro was not here. “F.R.I.D.A.Y.?”

“Yes, Ms. (Y/N)?” The A.I. responded.

“Can you get me something for dinner?” You asked, hesitantly. You hadn't had to converse very much with the A.I. as Pietro had been helping you.

“Of course, Ms. (Y/N). What would you like?”

“Ummm. I’m not really sure. What do you have available?”

“Depending on your hunger status, there are a multitude of options both within the tower and available for order.”

“Oh, so you could order me takeout?” 

“Yes, Ms. (Y/N).”

“I haven’t had anything greasy since I got here. Can you order me a (favorite) pizza? And maybe some breadsticks?”

“Of course, Ms. (Y/N). The order had been placed and will be delivered to you within twenty-five minutes. Would you like anything else?”

“A glass of water would be nice.”

A few moments later, a nurse walking in with a pitcher of water. Refilling your glass, she smiled at you before leaving.

“Anything else, Ms. (Y/N)?”

“No, that’s everything. Thank- you F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” you smiled at where her voice was coming out of the wall, hoping that would be good enough.

“It is my pleasure. Please inform me if there is anything else you will be needing.”

“Actually, F.R.I.D.A.Y., could you ask Tony to come see me?”

“Sir, has been informed of your request.”

“Thank-you.”

A few minutes later, Tony walked in.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asked as he came to sit on the side of your bed.

“I was just wondering if Pietro was okay. He’s been gone for a while.”

Tony groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s because your boyfriend is an idiot. Banner tried to talk to him, but he wouldn’t slow down. He was running around the track like a maniac and just tired himself out an hour ago. I think he went to take a shower, but who knows? He didn’t stop by the kitchen for dinner, so I thought he’d be with you.”

You frowned. “Is he that mad at me for wanting space?”

Tony gave you a sad smile. “No, kiddo. You didn’t see him when I brought you in. He was… Look, I think he’s just worried about you. Scared, actually. You got hurt when he wasn’t around, so being away from you probably makes him anxious. He just doesn’t want to lose you.”

You bit your lip as you staring down at the blanket. “I know he’s worried, but he can’t spend every second watching me. I’ll be okay.”

“That’s why right now is important. He needs to realize that. Everything will be fine. Just give him time to cool off and figure things out. Plus, it would be great if he wasn’t hovering around tomorrow when Banner and I want you to try out your new wheelchair. He might not approve of some of the modifications we did.”

You grinned and perked up when the door opened. Instead of Pietro, it was one of Tony’s assistants carrying your food in.

“Thank-you,” you told him before he quickly exited.

“Don’t thank him, I’m the one who paid for your pizza,” Tony muttered.

Opening up the box, you inhaled the scent. “Oh, shut up. You have socks more expensive than my meal.”

“I like nice things,” Tony huffed.

Letting you enjoy your dinner, Tony left with the promise of wheelchair fun tomorrow. Quickly devouring the pizza and breadsticks, you placed the boxes on the table next to you. Rubbing your stomach, you grinned with satisfaction.

As you basked in your delight, the door opened again. Staring expectantly at it, Pietro slowly emerged. 

“Oh, there you are! I was getting worried,” you said as he pulled up a chair next to your bed. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be back so I ordered…”

Pietro glared at you as he sat down. The look caught you off guard and you paused. “Okay. If you are going to look at me like that, I’m done talking.”

Pietro continued to not say anything, so you sighed. Turning your tablet back on, you continued reading.

Or you tried to. Wasn’t working very well with Pietro quietly steaming right next to you. Groaning in frustration, you glared back at him. “What? I get that you’re mad, but you don’t really have any right to be. Everyone needs some alone time. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings by wanting a little while to myself.”

Turning away from you, Pietro glanced at the wall. “Oh, real mature Pietro. The silent treatment isn’t going to make things better!”

Watching him continue to ignore you, you rolled your eyes. You loved him, but he could be such a stubborn asshole sometimes. Staring down at your tablet, you couldn’t focus on any of the words. Switching it off, you folded your hands on your lap. Staring at them, you took in a few deep breaths. 

Letting them out, you turned back to him. “I felt really happy. The first few days. When you were being so attentive to me. It felt like when we first started dating. Or when you would come back from a mission, which I used to think were business trips. You would be so kind and do so much for me. I used to think that it made up for all the times you would leave. I would wake up in the morning and see a note saying you were gone. I got used to it, but I was always so excited when you came back. Yet, I didn’t stop living my life when you weren’t around. I still went to work and spent time with my other friends. Do you know what I did for the month that we were broken up? I cried. A lot. But I didn’t stop doing what I enjoyed just because you weren’t around. I have hobbies that you know about, but that you aren’t interested in. What are we going to do when I feel like writing? Are you just going to sit there and watch me? What about when you have to go to training? Are you going to drag me along to watch every time? We can be together without always being together. You know I love you, but you can’t keep me glued to you at all times. That isn’t healthy. I don’t want you to be constantly worried about me. You’ll go insane and we’ll end up hating each other. Pietro, please talk to me.” 

You could feel your eyes beginning to sting, but you bit your lip and willed the tears not to fall. You had to be strong if you were going to get him to understand.

Pietro took in a shaky breath and stared up at you. The glare was gone, but you didn’t exactly prefer what it had been replaced with. His eyes looked so lost and sad. You two were looking at each other, but he almost seemed to be looking though you. 

“I wasn’t there for you. When you got hurt. Every night, when you are sleeping, I have to force myself not to scream from my nightmares. When you were brought in, you looked so broken. I just keep seeing that image of you. But with you never opening your eyes. Even in the short seconds when I’m away, I feel uneasy. This last few hours has been torture. I checked in with F.R.I.D.A.Y. constantly to make sure you were okay. I didn’t talk to Banner or Stark because I knew they were just going to tell me what you said. But I can’t make the fears go away. I can’t stop seeing you… Broken… Gone…” Pietro’s hands were shaking and he was crying.

You tried to reach out to him, but winced when you felt a strain from moving. His hands began to shake more as he started shaking his head rapidly. “See! You are only in pain now, but what if it had been worse? I need to protect you.”

“Pietro, come here,” you demanded. He continued to shake. “Pietro. Come here. Now.”

Glancing back up at you, he moved so he was sitting on the bed next to you. Pulling him down, you shifted slightly to make room for him to lie next to you. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders, you hugged his close. Letting his head rest on your shoulder, his hair tickling your neck, you kissed his hair. 

“Do you remember our first date? Do you remember when you asked me about how I felt about the Avengers?” You whispered calmly to him. You could still feel his body shaking, but he was started to calm down as you could not longer hear him sobbing. “I told you that I was glad that they protected people, but I worried because I wasn’t sure who was protecting them.”

Pietro sniffled and clung tighter to you. Releasing your grip from his shoulders, you let your hands wander and draw soothing patterns against his back. “You are struggling so much to protect me, but you have to know that this is going to be reciprocal. I want to protect you too. From the nightmares. From the anxieties. We’re going to get through this. It’ll take time and effort. Some of the worries may never go away. But we can’t spend our entire lives chained together. Sleep right now, right here. In my arms. If you have a nightmare, you don’t have to hide your pain. I’ll be right here. We’ll get through this.”

Face still buried in the crook of your neck, you felt Pietro place a gentle kiss there. Continuing to draw on his back, you smiled as his breathing began to steady. “We’ll protect each other, sweetie. We’ll get through this,” you whispered to him and he drifted off.


	11. Meetings, Wheelchair Testing, and Home Planning

“Okay, open your eyes!”

Removing your hands from your face, you smiled at the two scientists. Tony and Bruce were standing over a black wheelchair, both wearing similar smug expressions. The wheelchair appeared to be simple enough, but you knew that these two had been working on it all week.

“I’m surprised it isn’t a more outrageous color,” you noted.

Tony sighed dramatically. “I suggested something fancier, but Banner here wouldn’t let me.”

“I thought you’d appreciate a more subdued design,” Bruce said.

You nodded at him and smiled. “It looks great. Thank-you both so much!”

“So, ready for a test run?” Tony asked.

“Sure!” You were very exciting that you would finally be able to move around again. Of course it wasn’t the same as walking, but at least you wouldn’t be stuck in your recovery room any longer.

Luckily, Tony had bought you some clothes to wear while stuck with your two casts. You were positive Pepper had been the one to pick them out, but you were happy to be out of hospital gowns and baggy clothes. You did want to feel nice once in a while. The new collection of clothing consisted mostly of simple t-shirt dresses, blouses, and skirts. Not your everyday look, but pants were way too much of a hassle when considering your casts.

Sliding to the side of your bed, you carefully swung your legs so they dangled off. Tony pushed the wheelchair closer to the side of the bed. Pushing off with your arms, you managed to slide yourself into the seat. Adjusting yourself slightly, you beamed up at the two.

“Okay, let’s go!” You said excitedly.

Tony and Bruce chuckled. “We’re going to wheel you out into a more open space before we give you control, okay? I’ll just push you there for now,” Tony responded.

Bruce went to hold open the door as Tony pushed the chair from behind. Folding your hands into your lap, you sat cheerfully as you were pushed along. Staring around yourself, you completely forgot that you had never really seen any other place in the tower. The building was absolutely stunning. High ceilings and enormous windows. The tower seemed to glitter in the morning sunlight as the three of you moved along.

Two large glass doors slid open in front of you. More of the bright sunlight pooled into view and you had to squint slightly when you first entered.

“Surprise!”

You were amazed to see a large group of people standing in the room.

“They all wanted to celebrate you finally leaving the hospital wing,” Bruce murmured to you when you didn’t respond.

Glancing around at the group, you were able to pick out some familiar faces. Pepper, Thor, and Wanda were standing in the front.

“Oh, (Y/N)! I am so happy to see that you are alright,” Wanda rushed over and caught you in a hug. Squeezing her tightly, you chuckled.

“Shouldn’t I be the one saying that to you? You were the one stuck in Europe and just coming back from a mission.”

Wanda laughed before glancing up at Tony. “We should introduce her to everyone first, then do the practicing,” she stated firmly.

“Fine,” Tony pouted.

The rest of the group had approached and you felt a little nervous. The majority of these people you did not know, but they seemed friendly.

“(Y/N), this is everyone. Why don’t you all introduce yourselves,” Wanda told them.

A blonde man stepped forward and held his hand out to you. “Steve Rogers, nice to meet you (Y/N).”

“Nice to meet you, Steve,” you replied, shaking his hand.

Turning to the rest of the group, they apparently had decided to speed things up a little bit.

“I’m Clint, nice to meet you.”

“Hello, I’m Agent Maria Hill.”

“James Rhodes, but you can call me Rhodey.”

“Hi, I’m Natasha. Nice to meet you.”

“Hey, I’m Sam.”

You nodded at each of them, trying to focus and remember their names. Glancing to the side of the group, you saw a… man? His body seemed to be painted red and he stared at you, unblinkingly.

“Vision, you also should introduce yourself,” Wanda said to the man. He glanced up at her for a second before moving closer.

“Hello, I am Vision. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. (Y/N),” the strange man said to you in a surprisingly British accent.

“Oh, it is nice to meet you, too,” you responded.

“Ughhhhh, are the introductions done now?” Tony whined.

Glancing around to see if you missed anyone, your eyes landed on Pietro. You hadn’t initially realized that he had been seated at a bar on the side of the room. Lifting an eyebrow questioningly at him, he just motioned for you to go ahead.

“Yeah, I think that is everyone Tony,” you replied.

“Great, okay!”

Coming over to the left side of you, he pressed a small black square on the armrest. A blue screen appeared and was projected a few inches over the left armrest.

“So, this is how you are going to control this thing. A map function is built in, so you can actually just input where you want it to take you. Just tap the word search and then state where you want to go. You can either type it out or say it out loud. Banner and I have already put in a shortcut in the corner. Pushing tower will bring you here. If you want other places put in, just tell us,” Tony explained.

Pressing the square again, it disappeared. Moving to your right side, Tony pushed a similar looking button located on that side. This time, a smaller and slightly tilted screen appeared. Directional arrows were the only thing being displayed.

“This is for manual movement. This is what you’ll need a little practice with, just to get used to it. You basically just place your finger on the direction you want to go. The harder you push, the faster you’ll go. So just press gently while we are practicing right now, okay?” Tony glanced at you. Nodding at him, you smiled at his enthusiasm over his project.

“Okay, (Y/N). I want you to slowly direct your wheelchair over to me,” Bruce called out. You hadn’t realized that he had moved to stand at the other side of the room. The way over would be almost completely straight, so you weren’t too worried.

Lightly placing your finger near the screen, you felt a little shy with everyone watching you. Pressing the forward arrow lightly, you felt the wheels begin to move slowly under you.

“Just like that, (Y/N). Good job,” Tony said from behind.

Pressing just a little harder to speed up, you heard cheering when you stopped cleanly in front of Bruce.

“Good. Now, we’ll work on turning,” Bruce said. “Can you make a turn and go back to Tony?”

“Okay,” you focused carefully on the controls as you slowly turned. Once you were turned around, you quickly glided back to Tony.

More cheering and you were beaming. “Feeling okay with the movement? Smooth enough for you?” Tony asked as he kneeled down to look at the wheels.

“It is great Tony. Thank-you so much,” you gave Bruce a wide smile as he walked over. “You too, Bruce. Thank-you so much for doing this.”

“You’re welcome, (Y/N),” he responded kindly.

“So, want to go over to the track and you can practice in a bigger space?” Tony asked.

“Yeah, sounds good.”

The rest of the group had begun to wander about once you had finished your first test run. Most of them had gone to sit on some couches and talk.

Thor came over to pat you on the back, while Wanda came over and hugged you tight. Bruce mentioned he was going to go finish up something in the lab and left up a flight of stairs. Tony announced to the group that he was taking you to go practice on the track. They all acknowledged what he said and gave you encouraging words before going back to their conversations.

Wheeling you along, you grinned when you saw Pietro already waiting for the two of you on the track. He gave you a reassuring smile, but stayed leaning on the wall near the entrance.

Pietro had been quiet since he had woken up this morning. While he had told you his nightmares hadn’t been as bad last night, you were still worried. You had only learned yesterday about how stressed and anxious he was.

Although he hadn’t woken up from his nightmares last night, you knew they had been bad. He had been clinging to you tightly when he drifted off and his grip had lasted the entire night. You had only been woken up once by him, when you heard him whispering your name in a panic while his arms shook. Rubbing his arms soothingly, you had murmured reassuring words at him until he had calmed.

When you both woke up in the morning, he had still seemed exhausted. You knew it was going to take a while before he would be back to his old self, but you were willing to wait. He was struggling with your injury just as much as you were. You had both decided to pace yourselves, which you could tell was what Pietro was doing. He was trying to give you a little space, while also being close enough that he felt comfortable. You appreciated how hard he was trying, but knew that this would all be easier once you were fully healed and out of your casts.

“(Y/N), why don’t you maneuver yourself around the track a few times. We’ll practice sharper turns once you seem to have the wide turns mastered,” Tony said as he sat on one of the benches located in the large space.

“Alright.” Glancing at Pietro, he smiled at you.

“Go ahead, draga. I want to see,” he called out.

Grinning at him, you slowly moved around the track. After you went around twice, you were able to speed up and had a relatively easy time. Tony and Bruce had really put in a lot of work to make it wheel across the floor effortlessly.

As you turned around the track again, you noticed that Pietro was staring down at the floor. His body was shaking enough that you began to see him become blurry. Worried, you hadn’t realized that you had stopped moving.

“Hey, (Y/N)! You okay?” Tony yelled. Pietro’s head whipped up to look at you.

You jumped and your hand fell back down onto the control panel. You felt the wheelchair suddenly accelerate backwards and let out a scream. Feeling yourself fall out of the seat, you shut your eyes and covered your face.

“Are you alright, draga?”

Moving your hands, you breathed a sigh of relief when you felt Pietro’s arms around you. Nodding, you nuzzled your face into his neck as you tried to catch your breath.

“Good catch. (Y/N), you injured?” Tony asked as he ran up.

“I’m okay, Tony. Pietro caught me,” you responded.

“I can’t believe we forgot to put a seatbelt in. Well, we’ll get this thing back to the lab and install one right away,” Tony said as he went to grab the wheelchair. Tony began to wheel it towards the exit as Pietro carried you.

“Um, Tony? You said earlier that I wouldn’t be going back to the hospital wing. Where am I going to be staying?” You asked as all of you continued towards the door. You were debating telling Pietro to put you into the wheelchair, but thought better of it when you remembered why you had been distracted.

“You’re going to be staying in Speedy’s room. Right?” Tony raised his eyebrows at the two of you.

“Hmm? But Pietro told me that he doesn’t really have his own space. He said that he just had a tiny bedroom like the rest of the employees…” you trailed off when you noticed Pietro begin to look uncomfortable

Tony laughed. “I mean, his room isn’t anywhere near the size of mine, but I definitely wouldn’t call it tiny. What kinda fancy place were you staying at before, eh?” Tony teased Pietro.

“I’ll just take her to our room. You go install the seatbelt,” Pietro replied quickly before you two were off.

You felt lightheaded when Pietro set you down on a bed. He had never carried you and ran before, so you had not been prepared for that speed. Holding your head lightly in your hands, you took a few deep breaths as you tried to stop the spinning sensation.

“Sorry. I should have warned you first,” Pietro said. Coming to sit by you on the bed, he sighed.

Blinking a few times, you began to feel a little better. Glancing around the room, you understood what Tony meant. This wasn’t a small room at all. The bed was large, probably a king. A nightstand on both sides of the bed.There was a seating area with a couch, two chairs, and a coffee table. A dark wooden bookshelf was against the wall and it contained a modest collection of books. Across from the couch, there was a TV hung above an elegant and modern fireplace. Three doors. One was the entrance to the bedroom, so you assumed that the other two must be doors to the bathroom and closet.

“This is very nice,” you commented as he leaned back on the bed. “Confused why you lied to me about it.“

Pietro groaned and covered his face. “That was when you still didn’t know about me being an Avenger. If you knew about this, you would have been suspicious. They obviously wouldn’t give this kind of room to every employee,” Pietro explained.

“Well, now it makes sense why you used to complain so much about how tiny my apartment is. This room alone is bigger than mine.”

Rolling onto his side, Pietro gazed up at you. “I prefer your apartment though. It was comfortable. Felt more like a home.”

Pietro pulled you down and further onto the bed, so your legs weren’t dangling off of the side. Staring into his eyes, you smiled. “Well, once I’m all better, we can go back? My apartment wouldn’t be so great for someone with a wheelchair, but once I’m walking again, we could move back in.”

Pietro’s jaw tightened and he shook his head. “I’m sorry, draga. We can’t.”

You frowned. “Why not? You were able to still be an Avenger when you stayed with me before.”

Pietro sighed and reached out a hand, running it through your hair. “Draga, your apartment building was ruined, remember?”

You paused in shock, before realizing. “Oh, that’s right. I guess I just kinda blocked that out. I didn’t even think what was happening to my apartment when I was brought here.”

“I’m sorry,” Pietro whispered.

“It’s okay. Was anything found or is it all gone?” You asked quietly.

“Everything was either pretty badly burnt or crushed by debris,” Pietro responded slowly.

You thought about all of the family photos that you had. Your books. Your journals. Everything. No wonder Tony had been so adamant about buying things for you.

Pietro wiped a tear that managed to escape. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). Stark sent a team to try and recover what they could, but there was too much damage.”

“I just… Everything was there. And I finally felt like I had a home in this city. I should have realized, but…”

Pietro pulled you into his chest. “How about this? Once you are fully healed, we’ll go out and find a place for us. It won’t be the exact same, but we’ll find another home. Our home. As long as you are there, I’ll be okay with any place you pick.”

“Really? You aren’t going to complain if it isn’t as nice as what you have here?” Pietro kissed the top of your head and laughed.

“You are my home, (Y/N). I promise, no complaints.”

“Even when I fill up the entire living room with books?”

“As long as you leave a space for me on the couch.”

“When I buy a kitchen that is too small and outdated, so everything I cook takes forever?”

“We’ll order food.”

“When I buy a closet that is too small to fit all of your shoes?”

“Draga, are you trying to make me complain?” Pietro leaned down to look at you with his eyebrows raised.

“Just checking. Everything else is fine, but I’ll make sure the closet is big enough,” you smiled at him.

Leaning down to peck you on the lips, he smiled against you. “So kind.”

“Well, I do love you.”

The look of endearment that Pietro gave you made your cheeks flush. “I love you as well. My life. My home. My (Y/N).”


	12. Recovery

The addition of a seatbelt ended up being entirely unnecessary. While you could use the control panel to steer the wheelchair, Pietro mostly pushed it around for you. You understood that it calmed him down, so you didn’t argue about it. As long as he went at a reasonable speed that didn’t make your head spin. One overenthusiastic trip that resulted in you throwing up had been enough of a wakeup call for the speedy hero.

Pietro had slowly been improving himself. While he still preferred to be close to you, he was more comfortable knowing you were in the tower. Wanda being around had also given him someone else to vent to when he would become overly stressed. 

You had also noticed that Pietro was much closer with Clint than you would have expected. Watching to see his reactions with the other Avengers, he was friendly, but it was very obvious how much closer he was with the archer. You would be eating or chatting with someone else and notice the pair discussing something. For some reason, you always got the sense that Clint was teasing Pietro about something. Often you would catch Clint laughing as Pietro’s face would turn bright red. Wanda would sometimes look at them with a knowing smile, but would remain silent whenever you looked to her.

Most of the group would be gone at various points for missions, but Pietro had refused to go with them. He would often pace back and forth while they were gone, but chat happily with you whenever you said anything. You knew he had to be worried about them, especially Wanda, but you weren’t willing to push him away from you since he was improving.

When the casts were finally ready to be removed, you secretly asked Steve to schedule a training day. Knowing your legs wouldn’t look so great, you knew Pietro would probably panic when he saw them. Not wanting to cause him extra anxiety, you had explained that you were just going to hang out with Tony. 

Pietro had gone to training, while Tony had wheeled you to the hospital wing to get your casts removed. Luckily, Tony brought along a pair of sweatpants for you to change into, to cover your legs. Wheeling you to the training room as soon as the casts were off, Pietro sped over to you and swung you around in his arms. His look of joy was short-lived when Tony explained how physical therapy could take up to four months.

“Tony, we can’t do the therapy in the pool.”

“Why not? It would be much easier for you. It is also highly recommended.”

Wheeling closer to him, you speak in a hushed tone. “Because, my legs still are all bruised and scarred. I don’t want to set off Pietro if he sees those,” you whispered to him.

Tony sighed, but nodded. “Okay, well I am modifying those leftover parts, so you can walk with their assistance. It will get your muscles used to working right again.”

“I bet a lot of people would be jealous of how cool I’m going to look with just Iron Man’s legs,” you joked.

“Hey, I want you to get better soon too.”

“Thank-you, Tony. I really am lucky to have you,” you patted his arm.

“You’re welcome. Now lift your leg so we can see if this is the right size.”

Reaching your arms down, you pulled up your right leg. Lifting it up just enough, you placed it onto the stool Tony had brought over. Pushing up your sweatpants, Tony placed it gently into half of the modified Iron Man leg. Making small notes on a screen, he stood up.

“Stay there while I go get the other piece.”

“Can’t really walk up and run away,” you responded and he rolled his eyes.

“Hey, (Y/N). Are you two almost done?” Pietro asked as he ran in.

“Pietro?” You hurried to cover your leg, but he was already next to you.

Gazing down at your leg, he took in a few deep breaths. 

“It is okay, draga. Wanda was warning me about this and I could tell you were trying to hide it from me,” Pietro said in a strained voice.

“Are you okay?” you asked as you stared at him. He softly traced a scar with his fingers.

“Shouldn’t I be asking you that?” he murmured.

“Pietro, are you alright? If you need to go see Wanda…” Pietro shook his head.

“I actually feel a little relieved,” he finally responded.

“Really?”

“Yes, because even though you are bruised and scarred, you are healing. I wish you could just be walking now, but you will be soon. That comforts me.”

“How have you been today? You were training with the others most of the day. No panic attacks?” you asked quietly.

Pietro moved to sit on the floor next to you and leaned his head lightly against your thigh. “A small one. Wanda calmed me down though. I actually came here because I was starting to feel anxious again.”

You ran your fingers through his hair and smiled at him. “I’m glad you’re improving.”

“I just feel so weak,” Pietro muttered.

“No. Everyone has things that they need to deal with. Your anxiety doesn’t make you weak, it is just an obstacle. Besides, no one can call my hero weak on my watch.”

“So, I guess this means you will be doing at least some of your physical therapy in the pool?” Tony asked as he came back into the room.

“Yeah, but you better still let me walk around as Iron Man,” you smiled at him.

“Kid, once you’re better I’ll let you fly around in your own suit,” Tony replied.

Pietro had stiffened beneath you and you chuckled. “We’re just kidding, sweetie. Why would I need to fly when you can carry me anywhere I want to go?”

“You won’t need to be carried soon,” Pietro gazed back at your legs.

“As soon as possible,” you agreed.

“Is that when the wedding is going to be?” Tony teased.

Pietro blushed and you laughed. “Tony, stop stressing him out. One thing at a time. Don’t push him to go too fast.”

“Pushing Speedy to go too fast? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds, (Y/N)?” 

Pietro chuckled and kissed your hand. “One thing at a time. But rushing a wedding doesn’t sound like the worst idea Stark has ever had,” Pietro said.

“Okay, both of you calm down. No talking about weddings, when one,” you pointed at your legs “I’m still not better yet, and two,” you pointed at Pietro “you haven’t proposed yet.”

“Yet,” Pietro and Tony said at the same time.

You sighed. “Don’t worry draga. No proposal yet. Not until you are better.”

“Yeah, and it better be more romantic than whatever this is,” Tony said.

“One thing at a time. You’re okay with slowing down just a bit?” you asked Pietro.

“I almost lost you once, I can wait however long you want.”


	13. The Past

“Wake up. Wake up.”

You groaned. “What time is it?”

“8 A.M., draga.”

“Wake me up in two hours. I’m still tired from Tony’s party last night.”

After months of physical therapy, you were finally healed. Although you still weren’t back to before, you were definitely close. To celebrate your recovery, Tony had thrown a huge party packed with mostly people you didn’t know. You were convinced he had just wanted a party, but you appreciated the efforts he went to while you were recovering. 

You had a hard time believing how close you had become with the billionaire. Tony seemed to have a soft side for you, treating you like family. You had once asked him about it after observing how he teased the rest of the team. Patting you on the head, he had sighed.

“I guess it’s because I was actually able to do something good for those two. And not just for those two. Sometimes this job is the worst. You’re my reminder that I can actually save people.”

Neither the twins nor Tony had ever really explained what had happened between them. You knew it had something to do with the twins’ parents and that they blamed Tony for something, but were never able to go much further. Observing the three, they didn’t interact much, but their didn’t seem to be hostility. They just seemed awkward towards each other. They had been talking more though, probably since you enjoyed sitting in the lab with Tony and Bruce. The twins couldn’t avoid the lab if they wanted to spend time with you.

“Draga, did you fall asleep?” You felt Pietro fall onto the bed next to you. “I have the whole day planned and you are going to ruin it if you don’t get out of bed.”

You raised your head to look at him. “You really planned the whole day?” you asked, hopefully.

Pietro met your eyes and nodded. “I want this to be our celebration. For your recovery. And it is our one year anniversary.”

Moving closer to him, you rested your head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around you and you smiled. “You remembered?”

“Of course. Did you doubt me? How cruel.”

You laughed and kissed his chest. “Did Wanda remind you?”

Pietro groaned. “No! I actually put in the effort to remember and do all of this and you mock me!” You could tell he was pouting and laughed.

“You forgot my birthday until Wanda reminded you.”

“I was worried about your physical therapy that day. Don’t keep bringing it up.”

You crawled over and straddled him. Glancing down, you smiled at the pouting hero. “Thank-you for remembering. And for whatever you have planned. I promise to stop teasing you now.” Leaning down, you placed a kiss on his nose.

“Is that all I get?” Pietro asked when you pulled away.

“I want to know what you have planned first.”

Wrapping his arms around your waist, Pietro lifted you off of him and back onto the mattress. Getting up, he held his hand out. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

“Pietro, I thought we said no presents,” you whined, knowing you hadn’t gotten him anything.

“I know, but I really want you to have this,” Pietro replied. “Now, please close your eyes.”

Closing your eyes, you held out your hands. You felt a breeze as Pietro ran off. Two seconds later, you felt another rush of air. Holding your hands out a little further, you felt a smooth box being placed onto your palms.

“Okay, draga. You can open you eyes.”

Staring down at the box, it was slightly rectangular and wrapped in silver wrapping paper. Pietro was seated on the bed next to you. “I can open it now?” You asked, excited.

“Of course. It is your present,” he chuckled at the look on your face.

Removing the paper, you quickly lifted the lid off of the box. “Oh, Pietro…”

Pietro’s eyebrows furrowed. “Do you not like it? If you don’t like it, I can…”

You turned your head and kissed him. “I love it.”

Gazing down at the present, you lightly let your finger touch the gem. Inside the box was a silver chained necklace with a blue gemstone pendant. The chain was extremely delicate looking and the pendant was teardrop shaped. Being pretty small, you were sure that it was something you could wear daily.

“What kind of gem is it?” 

“A sapphire.” Pietro still seemed unsure if you liked his gift.

“Can you put it on me?” You asked, handing him the box. Turning so your back was facing him, you made sure to hold onto any hairs that could be in the way.

You felt Pietro slip the necklace around and fumble for only a bit with the clasp. Turning back to him you smiled. “How does it look?”

Pietro leaned forward and buried his head in your neck. You suddenly felt dampness on your shoulder. “Pietro, love. What’s wrong?”

Pulling back, Pietro had tears in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to ruin our anniversary with sadness.”

“Pietro, why are you crying?” You asked as you gently rubbed his arm.

“That necklace was given to my mother by my father.”

You were shocked to hear this. Pietro talked so little about his parents with you. You knew they had died when the twins were young, but not much else was known. 

“Are you sure you want to give this to me? Shouldn’t it be for Wanda?” You asked slowly.

Pietro frowned and shook his head. “No. Wanda was actually the one who told me to give it to you. We tried to only keep essential things that we found, but she told me how she saved mother’s jewelry box. I didn’t know that she still had this until a few days ago.”

“And you still want to give it to me?” 

Pietro placed a hand gently against your neck. The chain pressed lightly into your skin and against his palm. “I love you. And I know that they would have loved you, too. I also thought it was finally time for me to start telling you more about my past. I wasn’t going to do this all today, but I guess sooner would be better.”

Placing your hand over his, you smiled at him. “You don’t have to force yourself. I know that whatever you went through must have been painful.”

Leaning forward, Pietro placed a kiss on your forehead. “I want you to know more about me. I trust you.”

Taking his hand from your neck, you held it tightly with both of your hands. “I love you. Tell me whatever you feel like.”

Pietro took in a deep breath. “When I was a child, the areas around my home were bombed. A lot. Yet, my village never seemed to be hit. After a while, many of us believed that we would never get hit. We were so foolish. We were all at home. My parents and Wanda. Having dinner. The bomb. It killed them both and the building began crumbling. Then, the second bomb…”

You tightened your grip on Pietro when you felt him shaking.

“Wanda and I hid. We were trapped. Staring at it. For days, we waited. Thinking anything could set it off. Any moment could be our last. Staring at the bomb. And the only word on it…” Pietro stopped and seemed to have a confused look on his face.

“What was the word?” You asked.

“Stark,” Pietro replied.

“Pietro,” you breathed out. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you pulled him close. He wrapped his arms tightly around your waist and held you there.

After a little while, Pietro was no longer shaking and you had also calmed down.

“Then, how did you join the Avengers?” 

Pietro laughed, but it was cold and sounded bitter. “Wanda and I hated Stark so much, we wanted him gone. We protested, but we wanted to do more. Signed up for HYDRA and they are the ones who gave us our powers. Ultron, another of Stark’s creations, came to us. Said he would help us with our revenge. We thought he understood. That Stark and the Avengers were bad for the world. But Ultron was evil. He wanted to kill everyone. Wanda and I knew that wasn’t what we wanted. We never wanted another war. So, we switched to the good side.”

“And you are still here?” Even with that story, it was surprising that the twins would stay in Stark Tower.

“Wanda and I have never had a home. Although we are still not close with Stark, we have formed other friendships here. The old man would never let me leave anyways, “Pietro rolled his eyes.

“You really shouldn’t call Clint old,” you smiled, glad that Pietro was a little better.

“He is old. But he is a friend now. I’m glad I stayed. Wanda and I are able to use our powers to help people. And I was able to meet you,” Pietro stroked your hair and smiled.

“Do you still hate Tony?” Pietro’s hand paused for a second before he continued.

“I’m not sure anymore. I used to think that the only thing I wanted was for him to die. But…” Pietro hesitated.

“But?”

Pietro moved his hand. Down from your hair to your jaw. Fingertips lightly grazing against the skin there, they continued until his hand rested on your neck. Feeling gently until they found you pulse. “But Stark saved you. And you don’t hate him. I never told you, but I was angry. When you were recovering, you wanted to be in the lab so much. I didn’t like you being so close with him. But, he is kind to you. He did so much to help with your recovery. You would be gone if he hadn’t been there.”

“I’m happy that you are changing. Hatred isn’t a good thing.” Pietro nodded before standing up. Pulling you up with him, he smiled down at you.

“Well, I’m sorry that I spent so much of our morning talking about this. Are you sure you like the necklace?”

“Yes, I love it.”

Pietro smiled down at you before a look of confusion crossed his features. 

“Pietro, is something wrong?” You asked.

“(Y/N), what about your parents? You’ve never talked about them with me.”

You blinked up at him in shock. “Um, oh. Don’t worry about that now. I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Draga, what’s wrong? Did something happen with your parents?” 

You frowned and shook your head. “Pietro, can we please just go do something else? We can talk about this later.”

“(Y/N), what are you hiding from m…”

“Pietro, we are being requested downstairs immediately,” Wanda called from outside your door.

“Can it wait?” Pietro called back.

“No, it’s urgent,” she stated as she walked in.

“Okay, come on.” Pietro lifted you into the air and sped down to the lab, where everyone else had gathered. Setting you down next to him, Pietro began to impatiently tap his foot as the group waited. Wanda entered shortly afterwards, along with Bruce and Clint.

“We have recently located another possible HYDRA base. Most of the team, however, it off on a mission right now, so we’ll need everyone here to go on this one. And I mean everyone,” Steve glanced over at Pietro. Pietro stiffened next to you. “Stark, you’ll fly us into the forested area. Pietro, you’ll scan the area. Clint and Stark will play backup. Wanda, you and I will try to infiltrate after Pietro’s done. Bruce, you’ll be out Plan B. We can’t expect the other team to make it to us in time, so we’ll be running as if it is just us six.”

“Wait,” Pietro moved forward. “Who is staying here at the tower with (Y/N)?”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y., can watch (Y/N) and Pepper will be around.. No, never mind. Pepper is in England. Well, (Y/N), can handle herself,” Tony nodded at you.

“I’m not going,” Pietro stated quickly.

You looked up at him in shock. “Pietro, what are you saying?”

Steve groaned, before coming closer. “Pietro, we’ve let you skip missions for the last six months now. (Y/N) is fully recovered. She doesn’t need a babysitter.”

“I wasn’t saying she needed a babysitter. I would just feel better if someone was here with her. Can’t Bruce stay behind?”

Tony shook his head. “No, we’ll probably need the big guy with how many troops they seem to have.”

Pietro began shaking next to you and you placed a gentle hand on his arm. “Pietro, I’ll be fine. The team needs you.”

He shook his head. “No. This tower has been invaded before. You just finally recovered. I can’t leave you. Especially not today.”

“Pietro, we can celebrate our anniversary some other time. I know you are worried, but you can’t keep avoiding your job. You’re an Avenger, you have to go.”

“What if she went to stay somewhere safer?” Wanda suggested suddenly. She locked eyes with Pietro and he nodded at her. Pietro looked over at Clint, who sighed at them.

“I’ll call her and tell her to expect a guest,” Clint pulled out his phone before walking out of the room.

“All settled? (Y/N), you go pack a bag since you’ll be staying with a friend while we are gone,” Tony told you.

Confused, you turned to Pietro. He glanced down at you before picking you up. Running back to your room, he placed you gently in the closet.

Handing you a duffel bag, his hands were still shaking. “Pietro, where am I going?”

“Somewhere safe. A place that only a few people know about. You’ll be staying with friends.”

“Why do I have to go?”

“Please, (Y/N). I can’t go unless I am positive you are safe. Even knowing this, I still wish I didn’t have to go.”

“Pietro, I want you to make sure you focus when you are out there. Be safe. Don’t be distracted thinking about me. Just make sure you come back to me in one piece.”

Pietro smiled at you and nodded. “I will. I’ll run back to you and soon as I can.”

“Okay. Now help me pack, since you’re faster.”


	14. Nathaniel

The entirety of the trip was… awkward. After helping you pack, Pietro had led you to the jet quietly. Once on, the rest of the team boarded. Although you had expected Tony to be the pilot, Clint was the one who headed to the front.

You all strapped in, Pietro holding your hand. No one seemed to want to say anything. You made eye contact with Tony at one point, but he just shrugged at you. 

As the trip wore on, Pietro’s grip continued to tighten. You could feel him shaking next to you, but you tried to ignore it. When you started to feel your hand fall asleep, you gently placed your other hand on his arm. He looked at you confused, until you moved your hand slightly. Giving you a sheepish grin, he loosened his hold on your hand. Moving his whole arm, he instead rested it on your shoulders.

“Okay, first stop. We have to go now, so (Y/N) this is where you get off,” Clint announced.

“You aren’t going to stop in?” Pietro asked the archer. 

“No, I’ll just want to stay too long. Besides, we have to come pick up (Y/N) once we are done, right?” Clint walked over to you and gave you a pat on the shoulder. “Tell her I’ll be on vacation once this one is over.”

“Her?” you asked.

“She’ll explain everything, but we have to go now,” Clint moved pack to the front and flicked a switch. The door slid open.

“Bye kiddo. See you soon,” Tony called out to you as you moved towards the exit.

You gave him a wave and took your bag when Pietro handed it to you. “You be safe, alright?” you told him.

Pietro frowned, but nodded. “I’ll come back to you as soon as I can.”

You leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. “I’ll be waiting for you. I love you.”

“I love you too,” Pietro replied. 

Wanda came over and gave you a quick hug. “I’ll make sure to watch him. Now, we have to go.”

You quickly waved to everyone as you exited. Standing on green grass, you saw a house and barn in the distance. Waving one last time as the jet ascended, you turned back to the house.

As you walked, you passed through a fence and stared at the large farm. It was so green and quiet. Between you and the house, you spotted a figure. Moving closer, you could see it was a woman with brown hair holding a baby. 

Walking closer, you gave her a shy smile. “Hi, I’m (Y/N).”

She smiled at you and nodded. “Clint told me you would be staying with us. I’m Laura, Clint’s wife. Let’s go into the house and I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

“I didn’t know Clint had a wife,” you stated as you walked. You wondered if you had stepped out of line when she didn’t respond right away, but instead she chuckled.

“I’m his biggest secret. Well, me and the kids.”

Walking up the stairs into the house, you smiled at her. “How many kids?”

“Three. This is Nathaniel, who is the youngest. We also have Cooper and Lila, but they are at school right now.”

“School? Is it far away?” The area had seemed so secluded to you, with the farm being surrounded by forested areas.

“No, not too far away. Well, about twenty minutes. I guess some would think that is far, but that is where the closest town is.”

Laura led you up a flight of stairs into a bedroom. “Well, here is our guest room. Not as nice as Natasha’s, but still pretty good. The door over there is to your own bathroom.”

Dropping your bag onto the bed, you smiled at her. “Thank-you so much for letting me stay here. I really appreciate it.”

She grinned at you and shook her head. “No need to thank me. You can go ahead and freshen up and relax. I’ll make you something to eat for lunch.”

Laura exited and you headed to the bathroom. Taking a quick shower, you changed into some clean clothes. Making sure to dry your hair fully, you headed down the stairs.

“All cleaned up?” Laura asked quietly.

“Yep, all good.” You moved towards the kitchen, passing by baby Nathaniel, who had fallen asleep in his crib.

“Sorry we have to be a bit quiet, he has finally fallen asleep,” Laura stated as she brought two plates of sandwiches to the table.

Taking a seat, you shrugged at her. “It’s fine. He is really cute.”

Returning to the table with two glasses of water, Laura sat next to you. “He is. So, how is my husband doing? Not bothering you too much?”

“No, Clint is great. He is out on missions a lot, so I don’t get to talk to him much, but he is nice.”

“Good because I know how much he likes to tease sometimes.”

“Oh, Clint actually told me to tell you something. He said he would be taking a vacation after this mission.”

Laura smiled sadly. “A vacation?”

You were confused. “Aren’t you happy that he is going to take time off?”

Laura sighed. “Yes, but I guess I am just a little tired. Clint was going to retire after their last big mission, but he went back. He does visit much more and takes a lot more vacations, but I was looking forward to him retiring.”

“You want him to retire from the Avengers?”

Laura gazed at you and nodded. “I know. I know I sound selfish because he is out saving lives and the world, but sometimes I wish he was just… here.”

“I don’t think that is selfish. It must be hard, raising three kids with him being gone.”  
“That isn’t really the hard part.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can take care of the kids. And the house. I like this life. What terrifies me is when I think he might never come back.”

You were stunned. You hadn’t really thought of it like that. Sure, you knew there was danger, but had you really ever considered it? The year that you had spent with the Avengers. They would get beat up, but none of them had ever been seriously injured. Plus, Pietro hadn’t even gone on missions since you had been hurt. This whole time, you had been ignoring the fact that they could die out there.

The two of you continued to eat in silence for a while, until Laura tapped you on the arm. You stopped zoning out and looked to her.

She gave you a sympathetic smile and patted your arm. “Hey, I didn’t mean to freak you out. Let’s talk about something else.”

“Like what?”

“Hmmm, let me think.”

Laura took both of your plates to the sink and you followed her. Beginning to wash them, she glanced over at you.

“Oh, I know! How did you and Pietro meet?” Laura asked as she washed.

“You know about Pietro and I?”

“Yeah, Clint mentioned it to me when he said you’d be staying. Was joking that we could have girl’s night and gossip about our guys.” Rinsing off the plates, she placed them in a drying rack.

Grabbing a towel, she dried her hands. “Well? You going to tell me? I’m very curious how that impatient man found someone so normal,” Laura teased.

Leaning against the counter, you smirked. “Normal? You are at least right about the impatient comment. Pietro and I met at a coffee shop.”

Laura raised her eyebrows. “A coffee shop? This sounds like a movie.”

You chuckled. “Yeah, it does sound kinda ridiculous. But, he sat next to me one day and we talked. And somehow we ended up here, a year later.”

“Wow, a year. That is pretty exciting. How close do you think a wedding is?”

You laughed. “Tony asked that too. There is no need to rush, but I’m not opposed to a wedding. Knowing Pietro, I wouldn’t have been surprised if he tried to propose months ago.”

Laura glanced up at the clock. “It is about time to go pick up the kids. Would you be alright watching Nathaniel for me? It would just be easier since he is sleeping right now.”

You blinked in surprise. “You trust me enough to let me watch your baby?”

“I trust Pietro. If he loves you, then I know that Nathaniel will be in perfectly safe hands with you.”

Laura pointed towards a phone hanging on the wall. “Plus, we have emergency numbers on the fridge. I’ll have my phone on me, so I’m sure you’ll be fine for a little less than an hour. Be right back, see you soon.”

“See ya.”

Pulling a chair over to the crib, you smiled at the baby. Reaching into the corner of the crib, you grabbed a blanket. Unfolding it, you gently placed it over him. 

Staring down at the blanket, you could see letters. NPB. Must be his initials. Nathaniel P. Barton. Huh, maybe Phillip? Or Peter? Patrick? You’d have to ask Laura when she got home.

Smiling down at the baby, you let yourself relax into your seat. Daydreaming, the time passed by quickly. 

Hearing the door open, two kids ran into the house. Followed by Laura, they covered their mouths when they saw Nathaniel in his crib.

“Mommy says that you are friends with Daddy and Uncle Pietro,” the boy said quietly as he came up to you.

“No, she said that you were dating Uncle Pietro. Are you in love with him?” the girl asked.

Laura chuckled at them. “This is Auntie (Y/N). Introduce yourselves.”

“I’m Lila,” the girl said.

“I’m Cooper.”

“It is nice to meet you both.”

“So, does this mean that Uncle Pietro is going to visit soon? He hasn’t visited in a long time,” Lila said.

“I’m sure he’ll come to visit with Daddy once they are done working,” Laura told them. “Now, why don’t you two go play outside, since Nathaniel is still sleeping.”

“Okay,” the two ran out to the yard. 

“They’re both big fans of Pietro,” you stated as Laura pulled up a chair next to you.

Laura smiled. “Yeah, after the twins first joined the Avengers, they liked to come visit here. Pietro a little more, so the kids have become pretty attached.”

She turned to watch Nathaniel and you remembered. “Oh, yeah. Laura, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“What does the P stand for?” you asked as you pointed at Nathaniel’s blanket.

Laura laughed. “What? Why is it so funny?” you asked.

“You didn’t already guess it?”

“Phillip?”

“No.”

“Patrick?”

Laura laughed harder, but covered her mouth so she wouldn’t make too much noise. “No.”

“Laura, stop laughing at me and just tell me,” you pleaded.

“Pietro,” she finally stated.

You raised an eyebrow. “Pietro? As in, my Pietro? Why?”

Laura instantly calmed down and shook her head. “I don’t know if I should be the one to tell you. I don’t want to worry you.”

“What? If you don’t tell me, I’m going to be even more worried.” What was Laura talking about? Why did she look so uncomfortable?

“You know the mission I was telling you about earlier? The one where Clint almost retired after it?”

You nodded slowly.

“Well, Clint almost died. He went out to grab a child, but was almost shot. Pietro pushed him out of the way, but…”

“But?” 

“Pietro was pretty badly injured. We didn’t think he was going to make it for a while. He wouldn’t even wake up for a few months.”

How come Pietro had never told you about this? How come no one had ever told you about Pietro almost dying?

“How long ago was this?” You finally managed to ask.

Laura frowned. “Well, Pietro was still out when Nathaniel was born. So, just under two years. Since Nathaniel is 22 months old.”

You blinked in surprise. “It was that recent? But, I met Pietro a year ago and he seemed fine.”

Laura nodded. “His powers. He healed up pretty fast once he finally woke up. About 3 months of not waking up, but only 1 month of actually being awake and in the hospital. The entire time he was out, his body must have been healing up.”

You couldn’t believe it. Only a few months before meeting you, Pietro had been in a hospital. And about a year before you met, he had almost died.

You suddenly felt you knew exactly like how Pietro had felt when he almost lost you. Scared. No, terrified. What if he didn’t come back from this mission? 

“He’ll be fine,” Laura murmured to you, trying to calm you. She could see the panic and sighed. 

You turned to her. “How can you live like this? I don’t know how to do this.”

Laura came closer and hugged you. “I know. It is the hardest thing I have to do. But you have to trust him and the others when they say they’ll come back.”

“What if they don’t?” you whispered.

Laura hugged you tighter. “We can’t think like that. Just make the most of the moments you have with him. And hope for early retirement.”


	15. Don't Leave

One week. Two weeks. Three weeks. One month.

You were starting to go insane. Clint would call and give a status report every so often, but you couldn’t even listen. You would just wait for Laura to find you later and tell you everyone was fine.

Somehow, hearing the news from Laura made you feel better. Like they weren’t on a dangerous mission. Laura would just casually walk in and tell you that everyone was doing well. Almost like a weather report. Detached enough to not force your mind to wander. To worry.

It was never supposed to take this long. What had started as a quick mission had turned into a full undercover operation. The HYDRA base was apparently trickier than any of the ones before because of how it was split up. They were trying to locate each part of the base and strike at once, so that none of the bases would be warned ahead of time. This careful planning was smart, but you dreaded each day that they weren’t back.

Laura tried to keep you busy. You helped babysit and would help with the farm. She had taught you how to ride a horse like a pro, which was something you were very proud of. The kids were also fantastic. Lila would love coloring pictures with you, while Cooper loved running around. Little Nathaniel had even become comfortable enough with you that he wouldn’t cry when you would hold him.

Nights were the worst. Climbing into a cold bed. Alone. You would lay there, trying not to let your thoughts become too dark. When you would finally fall asleep, you would often times be woken up by nightmares. 

So vivid. You would see Pietro run past you, the blue streak trailing behind him. The rest of the world seemed out of focus as you would watch him running to Clint and a child. So many times, you would try to call out to him. Beg him to run back to you. Every time, he would turn his head to look at you before being shot. His body would fall so slowly as you screamed. Cried. And woke up shaking.

You were unsure how many of your nightmares Laura had heard. She had only come in once, but you had had so many terrible dreams after that. The good nights would be when you were so exhausted that you would have a dreamless sleep. Those were the nights you pleaded to have.

“They should be back any day now. They finished up with the bases and are just doing a final check to make sure they got everything.”

Looking up at Laura, she gave you a sad smile. “You’ll have to tell Pietro. He should know about the nightmares.”

Shaking your head, you sighed. “No, I’ll be better once he’s back. I don’t want to worry him more. His panic attacks were so much worse than mine. My anxieties are not nearly as bad as his were. He used to struggle with being away from me for an hour. I don’t want to set him back after how well he has been doing.”

“(Y/N), your struggles are just as important as his. Just because you are able to function throughout the day doesn’t mean this isn’t serious. Yes, Pietro struggled much more when you were hurt. Pietro had a traumatic life and that has impacted him tremendously. But, don’t ignore yourself. Your feelings still matter, even if you feel that you are not in as much pain as Pietro. It isn’t a contest.”

“I’ve always been the one to calm him down. Whenever he had nightmares, I would comfort him. If I can’t handle this, how can I help him?”

Laura wrapped an arm around your shoulders. “You can’t always be the strong one.”

You snorted. “I’m not the superhero.”

“I wasn’t talking physically.”

“I know. But I just feel so useless right now.”

“You aren’t useless. You two are partners. If you want to spend the rest of your life with him, you’ll have to work together. You need to trust him with your feelings.”

“I trust him.”

“Not completely. Not until you are able to let him see you at your lowest. Trust that he will still love you.”

Leaning your head against Laura’s shoulder, you felt tears begin to fall from your eyes. “I love him so much. I don’t want to lose him. I’m scared that once he sees me like this, he’ll leave.”

Laura frowned. “Why do you think that?”

Sniffling, you pulled away from Laura. Standing in front of her, you sighed. “This isn’t really something that I like to share. My parents got divorced when I was younger. Both of my parents would cry a lot. And yell. Mom left one day. No warning. Just gone. I wanted to cry and scream, but I was scared that Dad would leave too. Whenever I did something good, he would always praise me and be super happy. If I ever did anything bad, he would look so sad. It would immediately remind me of when she left. I didn’t ever want to be a burden. I can’t be a burden for Pietro or he might leave.” 

Covering your face with your hands, you sobbed. You had never shared your insecurities growing up with anyone. Always too afraid of bothering them. Burdening them. Always agreeable and comforting. Accommodating. 

Being in a wheelchair had been terrible, but you had hidden away your insecurities by telling yourself that you would get better as fast as possible. You had been the perfect patient. The one time that you had told Pietro to give you space when you were still in bed. That would still nag at you. No wonder you had let him push you around in the wheelchair. You didn’t want to burden him by arguing or pushing him away. 

You had moved out as soon as legally possible in order to not burden your Dad. Moving to New York had just been to get further away from him, so that he wouldn’t feel compelled to help you financially. Multiple jobs that you didn’t become to invested in. Shallow friendships where you were always the good listener. 

It was tiring. So tiring to be constantly afraid of letting yourself be vulnerable. You wonder if you could have avoided this if you had never gotten back together with Pietro. You would have moved to some apartment. Started a new job, so none of them would know about your accident. And go back to wearing your mask.

Laura pulled you into a hug. “Shhh. It’s okay. He loves you so much. He won’t leave you. I won’t leave you either. I’m right here for you. Just let it all out.”

You wondered how long you spent crying. Laura made a call at one point, something about the kids having a sleepover at someone else’s house. You curled up on the couch as she took care of Nathaniel, but she always stayed close enough that you could see her. Or she would be loud enough that you would know where she was.

You couldn’t believe that you had told Laura so much. Maybe the nightmares had gotten to you more than you thought they had. You were unsure if you were happy or upset that she knew. There was a sense of relief from finally telling someone.Yet, there was also a sense of dread. What is she told Clint at some point? Or the kids by accident? Would Pietro find out through one of them?

Laura dragged you up to your room at some point. “Now, you rest. I’ll wake you up tomorrow and we’ll find something fun to do.”

“Thanks, Laura.” She smiled at you and placed a kiss on your head before exiting. You felt a few more tears slip down you face as you closed your eyes to sleep.


	16. Sleep

Helping out around the house, you were vacuuming when Laura came running towards you. She had a phone in her hand and you instantly knew. 

“Is everyone okay?” You asked quickly, feeling panicked.

Laura smiled and nodded her head. “Clint just called and said they’d all be back in about an hour. Minor scrapes, but nothing broken.”

You pulled her into a hug. “I’m so excited. What am I supposed to do for an hour? I can’t go back to cleaning knowing they will be back soon.”

“We could go prepare some food for them. I’m sure they’ll all be starving once they get back.”

Putting the vacuum away, you went to join Laura in the kitchen. She was the much more knowledgeable cook, having to feed the kids, but you did know how to make some stuff. Being fueled by excitement, you both ended up trying to cook everything in the fridge and pantry. As the multiple pots and pans filled up, you both worked tirelessly and continued. You two worked so hard, you didn’t even notice how much time had passed until you heard the kids running in the house.

“Mommy! Auntie (Y/N)! We saw a ship! We think Daddy is back!” The kids shouted to you both, waking Nathaniel, who had been sleeping quietly. 

Laura went to grab Nathaniel out of his crib and calm him down, while you ran after the kids. You faced where they pointed and could see a large object being to land in the distance. You held onto the kids so they wouldn’t just run off, but truthfully you wanted to run straight towards the ship. Your heart beat fast as they both jumped up and down. Waiting. 

Suddenly, you were swept up into the air. You heard his chuckle first and clung tightly to his neck.

“Uncle Pietro!” Lila and Cooper shouted in joy.

“Just a second you two,” he told them before turning back to you. “Draga. Draga. I’m back. I’m sorry I was gone for so long. I’m right here. I missed you. I love you,” Pietro whispered into your ear. 

You felt tears begin to fill your eyes as you held him. You couldn’t even respond because of how relieved you felt. Pietro was here. He was safe. Safe. Alive.

“Draga?” Pietro pulled back slightly to look at your face. Seeing your tears, he smiled and kissed a few that had fallen down your cheeks. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Before you could respond, Lila and Cooper shouted. “Daddy!”

You turned to watch the others approaching. They all looked tired, but accomplished. Clint ran forward and scooped both of his kids up into his arms. Tony gave you a wave as he approached, with Wanda and Natasha following close behind.

“Where are Bruce and Steve?” You asked, worried.

“They headed back with the other team,” Tony explained.

“Other team?”

“Rhodey, Sam, and Vision. Nat was on their team, but she wanted to see the kids.”

You were going to ask more when you felt Pietro tug on your arm. Turning to him, he stared down at you. “Can we talk alone?” He whispered to you.

Nodding at him, he lifted you into his arms and ran you across the field to the barn. You gave him a confused look when he set you down on a hay bale. 

Pietro sat at your feet and rested his head on your legs. Reaching out to brush his hair, you felt him tremble. “Pietro. Pietro, I’m okay. Nothing bad happened. I’m safe. I’m healthy. Not injured.” Not well-rested or emotionally stable, but he didn’t seem to need that right now.

Pietro nodded against your legs. You moved them slightly and he pulled back. Lowering yourself down onto the floor next to him, you sighed. Resting your hands on both of his cheeks, you examined his face. 

Dark bags under his eyes. Bloodshot. Stubble more pronounced. Lips torn and obviously red from being bitten. Scars you could feel under your fingertips. Dried blood above his right eyebrow.

Leaning forward, you placed gentle kisses on each of the scars. “I’m guessing you haven’t been sleeping well.”

Pietro frowned. “The first few nights, I would scream loud enough to wake up the others. Wanda started using her powers, so that I wouldn’t dream. But… I still couldn’t get more than a few hours of sleep. Even without the nightmares, I could still feel you weren’t there.”

“Did you get the bad guys?” You asked as you ran your hands down the sides of his neck.

“Yeah.”

You pecked him on the nose. “Good. Do you want to go sleep? Laura and I made a lot of food, but you look so tired.”

“Will you stay next to me?” Pietro asked.

“Of course. Come on.” You took Pietro’s hand and guided him back to the house. Coming inside, Laura was rocking Nathaniel near the entryway. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully. You gave a nod to Clint who was watching from the living room couch with Cooper and Lila resting on him.

You motioned to Laura that you two were going upstairs. She glanced at Pietro before nodding. Climbing the stairs, you pulled Pietro in. Closing the door behind you, you pushed him towards the bed.

“Draga… I’m still wearing shoes,” Pietro muttered, sounding exhausted.

You chuckled at his concern. Continuing to push him to the bed, you watched as he dropped face first onto it.

You sighed and reached down to untie his shoes. The bottoms already showed some holes and the traction was completely gone. Another pair soon to be unusable. Pulling his socks off, you threw them onto the shoes. Tugging at his pants, you were a bit annoyed that they were stuck on because of how Pietro had placed himself on the bed.

“Pietro, sweetie. I need you to turn over. Or lift your hips a bit. I’m sure you don’t want to sleep in all your clothes. You’ll overheat.” 

Pietro whined. You thought you heard him make a comment, but ignored it. He did oblige and lift himself off the bed slightly. You tugged off the pants and left them with the pile. 

“Okay, now sit up for a second so I can get your shirt off.”

Pietro did and gave you a tired smirk. “Impatient? Need to see me naked that badly?” He teased.

You rolled your eyes and pulled his shirt off. “You need to sleep first. You are way too tired to be thinking of other things.” You dropped his shirt with the rest of his clothes. 

“Other things? Well, if we are on that subject… I think you are a little overdressed.”

You lifted the sheet and pushed him down. Laying them gently onto him, you kissed his forehead. “And I think that you are overly tired. Sleep, Pietro. I’ll be right here.” 

Pietro pouted up at you. “At least lie down in bed with me. I’ll feel better if I can hold you.”

You sighed before climbing in with him. He quickly cuddled closer to you. With his eyes closed, you stared at him. You really wish you could have avoided this. So soon. Of course you were also exhausted, but you couldn’t fall asleep. What if you had a nightmare? You would be forced to tell Pietro what was going on. To tell Pietro that you knew about him being shot in Sokovia.

As you felt his breaths begin to slow, you sat up in the bed. Pietro slightly stirred, but didn’t wake up. You rested your head against the headboard. Letting your hands run gently though his hair, you heard a gentle knock on the door.

Laura peeked her head in. Seeing you awake and Pietro sleeping, she tiptoed over. “You have to tell him, “ she whispered.

“Not yet. It’s too soon,” you whispered back.

“He needs to know. You have to sleep sometime. He is going to find out.”

“Give him a few days. I’ll tell him once he is feeling better.”

“And about your parents?”

You frowned, but nodded. “I will. Just, not yet.”

Laura sighed, but nodded. “Okay, but you have to tell him. He deserves to know.”

“I know. I will.” 

Laura left quietly and you turned your head to stare down at Pietro.

Touching the necklace around your neck, you smiled sadly at him. He began to stir and his jaw tightened.

You ran your hands down his arms and kissed his hair. “Shhhhh. I’m here. I’m safe. Pietro, I’m here. You’re okay. You’re okay. I love you. I love you,” you whispered to him. His face relaxed and he stopped stirring. “I’m sorry. I’ll tell you soon. I promise. Just… Sleep now.”


	17. Darker Skies

Everyone was outside, enjoying the warm temperatures. Laura sitting on the porch steps, holding Nathaniel. Natasha and Steve were chatting. Wanda was sunbathing. Tony was fixing Clint’s truck. Clint and Pietro were running around with Lila and Cooper. You were a little further out, sitting on the swing under the big tree. The shade keeping the harsh rays off of you.

You smiled as Pietro slowed down so the kids could catch him. They would tag him and then he would speed over to Clint and tag him. Clint would shout, but the kids and Pietro would all laugh loudly.

“Need anything to drink?” Pietro approached you. Even though he had been just running around and playing, he didn’t look tired at all. Meanwhile, Clint and the kids were laying in the grass looking exhausted.

“I think they are a little worse off than me.” You pointed to the kids. 

He nodded, but chuckled. “True, but I just thought I’d make sure you were comfortable.”

You motioned with you fingers for him to come closer. Pecking him on the lips, you smiled. “You do too much for me. Why am I so lucky?”

Pietro kissed you on the forehead. “Shouldn’t I be asking that question? You are the one who makes me happiest. I love you.”

“I love you too.” 

“So, while they relax over there, can I ask you a question?”

You nodded. “Of course.”

“What is the plan for when we get back to the tower?” Pietro asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you said you wanted to find an apartment or a home. Should we start with that right away? Also, are you planning on going back to your job? You’ve been gone for so long. You know, you could come work at the tower,” Pietro suggested.

You shook you head and laughed. “Can you imagine if I actually worked at the tower? You know how much Tony babies me. He would never make me do any actual work. Probably just get me to make him coffee all the time.”

“Well, we can figure all of that out once we get back. So, no drink? You sure? I can get it to you in a second.”

“Than why didn’t you just bring me one? Why bother asking?”

Pietro scratched the back of his head. “Well, actually. Laura is making the drinks. She told me to ask everyone if they wanted one, but she is probably still making them.”

“I guess if Laura is making them, then I’ll take one. But, make sure you actually go ask everyone and deliver them their drinks. Even the guys.” You pointed to Steve and Tony, who were now both by Clint’s truck. Tony was underneath it and was having Steve hold the car up for him.

“Yes, I understand,” Pietro whined.

“Good boy.”

“Good behavior kiss?” Pietro pointed to his lips. 

You shook your head. “After you get me my drink,” you teased.

He leaned forward quickly and pecked your lips anyways. You laughed as he sped off.

The wind started to pick up suddenly and the sky darkened. Glancing up, you saw a dark shape appear. Suddenly, smaller shapes starting falling towards all of you. People?

“Get inside!” Steve shouted. 

The figures landing and began attacking the Avengers. You didn’t know where you should go. Getting to the house would require crossing where the fighting was happening. 

Glancing around, you tried to get Wanda’s attention, but she was busy fighting. Pietro was too far away and Clint had gone to protect the kids and Laura. 

A masked figure approached you. You decided to run, but he quickly caught up and grabbed your arms. 

“Pietro! Help!” you shouted before the figure wrapped a cloth around your mouth.

“He won’t be helping you,” the man said. “Traitor experiment like him? Be better dead.”

The man began to drag you closer to the fighting. The group was being overwhelmed as more and more of the enemies appeared.  
 “(Y/N)!” Steve ran towards you. Pushing multiple enemies off of himself, he almost made it to you, before reinforcements began to push him back. 

Wanda also tried to rush towards you, but in her rush, she wasn’t careful enough. An enemy snuck behind her and hit her hard, knocking her to the ground.

“You really should all quit fighting if you don’t want me to kill this one.” You felt something push against the back of your skull as he shouted. Suddenly, everything stopped.

“Please. She has nothing to do with this,” Pietro suddenly appeared near you.

The man pulled you back slightly, but pushed you onto your knees. “Hey, no closer. Seeing how this hostage looks pretty fragile. Now, are you going to cooperate?”

Pietro nodded slowly. Your captor motioned his head and one of the other enemies put cuffs around Pietro’s wrists and ankles.

“There, now you won’t be running off on me. You know what happens when you’re a traitor? HYDRA doesn’t appreciate traitors. We dispose of them.”

You began to shake and felt tears fall down your face. This was wrong. How had this happened? Maybe, if they stalled long enough, the other team could arrive? You had no idea where Clint’s farm was located though. Was it near the tower?

“I understand. I’m the traitor. Not her,” Pietro stated. 

“Exactly. Now you’re getting it. But…”

Pietro’s eyebrows lifted. “What?”

“But, just killing you seems too easy. Too… Nice. Watching you suffer would be a lot more fun.” You felt yourself being pulled from the ground. 

Pietro’s jaw tightened. “Fun? I’m going to kill you if you dare…”

“Ah, ah, ah. Threatening me? Do you really want to do that right now?”

Pietro exhaled, but remained quiet.

“Good. Now, let’s play a little game. I’m going to flip a coin. Head, I shoot her. Tails, I shoot you. Not fatal, though. Like I said, you need to suffer.”

You shook your head quickly.

“Hmm? Seems like the lady would like to speak.”

The cloth was removed from your mouth. You breathed heavily. “Please, don’t hurt him.”

“Ah, she wants to play hero. But, that wasn’t my game,” he pulled out a coin. Flipping it, he laughed. “Tails.”

Your heart sank. Pietro looked relieved as he gazed at you. “It’s okay, draga. It’s okay, (Y/N).”

They pushed him down and held out the gun towards him. 

The shot fired. 

“Pietro! Pietro! No! Pietro no!” Screaming. So much screaming. Was it only you or were the others screaming as well? You felt as if you had been the one who was shot.

“Pietro! Please, open your eyes! Pietro! Please! Get away from him! Pietro!”

You felt your arms being grabbed. Suddenly, you were on your back. You closed your eyes as the enemy clenched your arms tightly, holding you down.

“Stop! Let me go! Pietro!”

You felt him shake you. Then, you felt your arms being freed. Opening your eyes slightly, you reeled back your arm as much as you could to punch the enemy above you. 

You felt your fist connect to his jaw, but he managed to push your wrists back down.

“Get off me!”

“(Y/N)!” Someone shouted from far away. Tony? 

“Tony! Help! Someone needs to help Pietro! Tony!” 

“(Y/N)!” The voice shouted again. It didn’t sound like Tony this time. Clint? Steve? 

You felt your body tiring as the man above you continued to shake you. You began to stop struggling, but still tried to scream out. 

“Pietro!” Your body shook, but you couldn’t tell if it was from the enemy or from your sobbing. 

The figure was suddenly off of you and you were being pulled into someone’s chest. Warm arms wrapped around you. You tried to see who it was, but your eyes were too strained from tears to see. 

Not knowing who had you, you tried to push away from them. Sadly, you had exhausted yourself with you previous struggling. 

“(Y/N).” The voice whispered in your ear. It sounded like Pietro.

“Pietro?” You tried to glance up at him.

“(Y/N). It’s okay. I’m okay. Nothing is going to hurt you.”

You leaned against his warmth. “Pietro.” You glanced up at his face and screamed.

“(Y/N)! Wake up!” 

Your eyes shot open. Pietro was sitting across from you on the bed. His eyes were wary and he had a bruise forming on his left cheek.

“Oh no.” You covered your face and backed away from him. You didn’t get far, as the headboard stopped you. Leaning against it, you brought your knees up to your chest and sobbed.

“(Y/N). Are you awake now?” Pietro asked quietly.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” you cried onto your knees. 

You felt Pietro try to touch your leg, but you recoiled. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly.

You shook your head and continued sobbing. “I couldn’t help you. I hurt you. I hurt you. I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” you chanted as you continued to cry.


	18. Trust Me

You weren’t sure how long you kept crying. Every time you would try to calm down, you would see the mark on Pietro’s face and start again. Pietro tried talking to you, but eventually gave up when he realized his words only seemed to make you more upset.

After crying much longer, your eyes hurt and you felt exhausted. You finally started to quiet down and were just sniffling. Instead of looking at Pietro again, you reached your hand out. Feeling him immediately grab it with his, you sighed.

“(Y/N),” Pietro said your name softly, hoping to not startle you. His thumb began rubbing circles on the back of your hand. 

“I’m sorry.” Was all you managed to utter as he stared at you. What could you say? Your reaction was far worse than any regular nightmare. You knew he wouldn’t believe you if you just told him it was one bad dream. Plus, you had hit him. An accident, but you still felt terrible.

“You don’t have to be sorry. I know you didn’t mean to hit me.”

“Not just about that,” you murmured. Pietro brought your hand up to his face and kissed the back.

“Tell me what’s wrong.”

“When you were gone… Laura told me… Laura told me…” you struggled with how to start.

Pietro moved closer to you. “What did she tell you?”

“She told me about what happened. In Sokovia,” you finally managed to say.

Pietro inhaled sharply. “Oh. How much did she tell you?” He asked quickly.

“About you getting hurt. And about how long you were in the hospital.”

Pietro wrapped his arm around your waist. “Are you upset that I didn’t tell you?”

You glanced up at him in shock. “No. That’s not… No.” You were surprised that was what Pietro thought.

Pietro frowned. “Really? I thought you were going to be mad that I hid something else from you. I didn’t meant to not tell you about it, but I never really knew when to tell you. Plus, we broke up before from me keeping things from you. Are you really not upset about that?”

You shook your head. “No. I didn’t really think about it that way. I was just really worried about you.”

Pietro’s face relaxed. “I’m glad you’re not mad. Then, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

Pietro’s face turned serious again. “What was your nightmare about? Was it about your apartment fire? Have you been having nightmares about that? I heard you calling for help, so was that it?”

You bit your lip and shook your head. To be honest, you hadn’t had any nightmares about the fire. You were actually a little bit surprised about that, but you had been with Pietro since that happened. No, your nightmares were cause by something much more haunting to you.

“I had a nightmare where you got hurt. I couldn’t help you. No one could get to you. I’m terrified that you are going to go on a mission and not come back.” You felt your eyes beginning to sting again.

Pietro was incredibly still. You frowned as you waited for his response, but he didn’t seem to notice.

“Pietro?”

He glanced down at you. “How long have you been worrying about this?” He finally asked.

“It was pretty soon after I came to stay with Laura. She told me about what happened. And I’ve been worrying every second since she told me,” you answered honestly.

Pietro stared into your eyes. “Have you had other nightmares?”

“Pretty much every night. I’ve actually been trying to not sleep since they have been getting worse.” You glanced down, trying to hide your embarrassment. Why did you have to have your worst nightmare when he was back? Why couldn’t you have had a nice dream? Or no dream? You hated him seeing you so vulnerable. So… Broken.

“You haven’t been sleeping?” Pietro repeated, sounding strained.

“Well, I’ll doze off sometimes, but I try not to sleep. At least, when the kids are home. Don’t want them to hear me if I start screaming. Laura’s woken me up a few times to get me to calm down.”

“Draga. I am so sorry. How can I make this better?”

You shook your head at him. “Don’t you see? You can’t. I have to get over this. I’ll be fine. Just, give me time.”

Placing a hand under your chin, Pietro raised it so you were staring at him. “I can’t watch you suffer and not do something. You helped me when I had my nightmares and during my panic attacks. Let me help you.”

You shook your head again. Moving his hand away, you turned away from him. “No. I can’t burden you more. I’m the one who caused your panic attacks. I’m the one who gave you nightmares. I’m the one who kept you from missions for so long. I can’t keep bothering you. I can do this on my own. I’m fine. I’m fine on my own.” You started to shake.

No. No. Don’t be a bother. Don’t be a disturbance. Don’t be a nuisance. He’ll leave. He’ll get tired of you too. Pietro will find someone better. He’ll abandon you. Like mom. Stop talking to you. Like dad. You shouldn’t have gotten back together with him. He’ll just end up leaving you. You’ll be too much of a pain. He’ll leave. He’ll never come back. Just like her. Never talk to you again. Just like him. 

Pietro pulled you close and wrapped his arms around you. “Shhh. It’s okay. It’s okay. You aren’t bothering me. You don’t have to do this alone. I love you. I want to help you.”

“You’re going to leave me. Forget about me. Abandon me. Just like them,” you cried into his chest.

Pietro stilled. “Like who?” He asked slowly.

You sniffled. “My mom left and never came back. My dad… Stopped trying. He let me stay, but we just. Turned into strangers. Nothing I did worked. I tried to do it on my own. I can do it on my own.”

“That’s why you never told me about your family.” Pietro sounded… Angry?

“Are you mad at me for not telling you?” you asked worriedly.

Pietro kissed your hair. Resting his head on top of your’s, he sighed. “I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at them. For hurting you. I’m sorry you had to live like that.”

“I thought I could manage. But, since I’ve been with you… It keeps getting harder and harder to hide all of this. I didn’t want you to see me weak. I didn’t want you to be burdened by me.”

“(Y/N), you are not a burden. Hey, look at me.”

Lifting your head, you gazed up at him. He began wiping at your tears with his right hand, left hand still on your back. “I love you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I will never abandon you. You need to trust me. I want to help you. If you are in pain, I want to be there for you. Don’t hide things from me. Okay?”

“Okay,” you whispered. You were scared, but felt slightly relieved. Pietro knew about your parents. He knew about your nightmares. And yet, he still wanted to be here. With you.

Pietro gave you a sad smile. “We’ll figure out these nightmares together. I’m going to be right beside you. But, you can’t stop sleeping. You need to sleep. You look exhausted.”

“I am,” you admitted.

“We’re both a little beat up, but maybe that’s why we work so well together.”

You smiled up at him before kissing his cheek. “Thank-you. I love you.”

Pietro grinned. “About time you smiled. I love you too. Now, I want you to go back to sleep. I will be right here with you. I promise.”


	19. Favoritism

“So, how are you enjoying house hunting?” Laura asked.

You sighed into your phone. “Apartment hunting. And it is so annoying.”

“I thought Tony said he would buy you any place you wanted?” 

“He did, but I’m not going to buy some luxurious penthouse with a pool like he wants me to. I want something cozy. Something that feels like home. Plus, Pietro isn’t back for another hour, so I’m just looking at places online.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll find the perfect place in no time. How have you been? Sleeping better?” Laura tried to sound casual, but you knew she was worried.

You smiled. “I have been better. Pietro only goes on quick missions and usually Tony or Bruce are here to hang out with me. Still, I miss you.”

“I miss you too. Can’t believe you’ve already been gone for two months. But, you’re still coming for when the kids are on spring break, right?”

“Of course! Tony was telling me he has a private island we could all go to.”

Laura groaned. “Guess I need to stop snacking if I’m going to need a bikini body so soon.”

You chuckled. “You’re gorgeous. Don’t whine.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite. Oh, it’s about time for me to go pick up the kids. Call me if you need anything.”

“Okay, bye Laura. Talk to you soon.”

“Talk to you soon. Bye.”

You put your phone down and glanced back at your laptop. Several apartment listings were bookmarked and looked at, but none of them were perfect. Tony would send you a few every day. Actually, he had probably just hired someone to do it. All of “Tony’s choices” were beautiful, but too extravagant. Too much. Too expensive. Sure, Tony wanted to pay for it, but that didn’t mean you were going to be overly expensive. Your wish list was simple. Nice, open kitchen. An extra room that could be turned into a library/ sitting room/ office. And a big enough closet to house all of Pietro’s shoes. Or at least the amount he would need for a month before wearing them all out from running.

Rubbing your neck, you winced. You had been sitting on the couch for a while on your laptop. You moved your laptop onto the table next to you and sat up. Stretching, you heard a few cracks.

“You shouldn’t spend all day sitting around,” Pietro whispered into your ear. You jumped slightly and he laughed.

“Jerk. What have I told you about sneaking up on me?” He settled onto the couch behind you and pulled you into his lap. Glancing over your shoulder at him, you frowned at his wide grin.

“You said you would dump your drink on me. But, since you don’t have a drink right now, I’m good.”

“Smart ass,” you muttered, before rubbing your neck again.

Pietro pushed your hand away and began rubbing the knot. “Does this work as an apology?” You could tell he was still smiling, but you didn’t care. Your neck was instantly starting to feel so much better.

“I guess.”

“So, what have you been doing all day?”

“I was just looking at places online again. And I chatted with Laura for a bit,” you said. 

“How’s Nathaniel doing?”

You giggled. “You know, they do have other children too. Don’t make Nathaniel your favorite just because his middle name is Pietro.”

“You know I’m kidding. How are they all doing?” Pietro began to rub your back.

“A little lower,” Pietro moved his hands down a few inches. “There. Thank-you. They are doing well. Looking forward to spring break.”

“That is still a few months away.”

You nodded. “Yeah, but they are excited.”

“Did you find any apartments you liked?”

You sighed and shook your head. “No. I didn’t think this would be so hard. Just, none of them feel right.”

“Maybe once we are living in one, it will become what you want?” Pietro suggested.

“Maybe. I just feel like it has to be perfect since Tony is paying for it.”

“You know Stark doesn’t care how much money you spend. You’re his favorite.”

“After Pepper,” you added.

“After Pepper,” Pietro agreed.

“A lot of favoritism talk today. I’m Tony’s favorite. I’m Laura’s favorite. Nathaniel is your favorite,” you listed on your fingers.

“Hey! I was kidding. Don’t tell Laura or the old man that I picked favorites,” Pietro said.

“I won’t. So, am I your favorite?” You asked innocently, not glancing at him.

Pietro chuckled and leaned down to kiss the back of your neck. “Of course. Am I your favorite?”

“Hmmm. I’m not sure,” you joked. 

Pietro grabbed you and turned you around so you were facing him. “Whose my competition?” He asked with a smirk.

You placed a finger on your chin and pretended to be thinking. “Who isn’t your competition? I mean, everyone is so nice to me. Except you. You pick on me and scare me.”

Pietro raised an eyebrow. “I just gave you a neck and back rub as an apology.”

“True. But I can’t call you my favorite.”

“What? Why not?” Pietro pouted.

“Because you already have a big enough ego. If you were my favorite, you would never shut up.”

Pietro stuck out his tongue at you. “So cruel. And I’ve put up with all of your apartment hunting.”

“Put up with. Tony and Wanda have been helping me more than you have.” You rolled your eyes.

Pietro shrugged. “That’s because I don’t care too much about what place you pick.”

“How can you not care? Don’t you want it to be your dream home? Are you actually okay with living anywhere?” You questioned.

Pietro pushed a stray strand of hair back behind your ear. He smiled softly at you. “I haven’t had a real home in a long time. My childhood home was destroyed. Ever since then, Wanda and I just went wherever we could. Sokovia, HYDRA, and now here. Your apartment was probably the closet to a home I’ve had in a long time. And that’s only because you were there. I’ll be fine with anything you pick as long as you let me come with you.”

You kissed him gently. “I guess you are my favorite,” you whispered against his lips.

Pietro chuckled and you felt his breath on your face. “Guess?”

“Don’t push it.”

“I won’t,” Pietro answered before kissing you again.


	20. New Family/ New Home

Sitting on the edge of a counter, you watched as Tony moved between different screens and desks. He would mutter some things under his breath, than pick something else up to tinker with. You had given up asking him questions about his work, since he had tried to explain once already and you hadn’t understood him than. 

Still, you would rather be watching this than doing nothing. For some reason, Pietro and Wanda had gone out shopping this morning. They had made up pretty lame excuses as to why you couldn’t come, but you had your guesses. Your birthday was coming up, so your best guess was that they were going to buy you presents. 

Pietro had made you promise to stay in the tower, however, so that you could both go look at apartments when he got back. So, you were here. Waiting. Zoning out.

Tony suddenly started coughing and you jumped. “You okay, Tony?”

Tony cleared his throat, but nodded. “Yeah, sorry.” His voice sounded worn.

You frowned. “Have you been overworking yourself again? I think you might be getting sick.”

“Sick? Me? No, I’m fine.” Tony tried to give you a reassuring smile, but sneezed.

“You are sick. Pepper wasn’t kidding when she said she needed to hire you a babysitter.” Pepper was away on a business trip in England, so she probably wouldn’t be happy to hear Tony was sick.

Tony groaned. “I’m fine, moooooom,” Tony whined at you.

You laughed. “Mom? Aren’t you the one always calling me a kid?”

Tony came over and ruffled your hair. “Because you are a kid. I am okay, honestly.”

“Well, would you at least take a little break. For my sanity? I really don’t like when you overwork yourself.” One time you had caught Tony lying on the floor passed out because he hadn’t slept the entire week.

“You’re a lot like him,” Tony said sadly as he went to turn off some of his devices.

“Him?” Tony gave you a sad smile. You followed him as he walked out of the lab. Once in the living area, he fell onto a couch. You thought he was going to take a nap, but he motioned for you to sit by him.

“When did you move in, (Y/N)?” Tony asked, suddenly.

“About a year ago. Why?”

Tony gazed up at the ceiling and sighed. “So, you never got to meet him. I think you would’ve liked him. You’re just like him.”

“Who are you talking about?” You were really confused now. This was the first time Tony had ever seemed so sad.

“J.A.R.V.I.S., he was my A.I. before F.R.I.D.A.Y.,” Tony replied.

“Before? What happened?” And why did Tony sound so defeated about this?

“He saved us. You heard about the big mission against Ultron. Well, J.A.R.V.I.S. was a casualty.” Tony was still staring up at the ceiling. 

“You miss him,” you stated.

Tony turned to you and nodded. “He was there for me. I created him, but he was always saving me. Looking after me. People told me he was just a program, but…” Tony paused.

You reached out to hold Tony’s hand. “But you loved him.”

Tony laughed, but tears began to stream from his eyes. “Yeah. He was my family.”

You smiled kindly. “I’m glad that you think highly enough of me to compare the two of us.”

“You’re part of my family now. I don’t have kids and am not really planning on it, but,” Tony grinned at you. “I hope they grow up to be like you, kiddo.”

You moved closer so you could hug Tony. “I think you’ll be a great dad someday Tony. I wish I could’ve had you and Pepper as parents,” you admitted. 

Tony hugged back tightly before chuckling. “Really? You’d want us? I’m not so sure of that.”

“Well, you raised J.A.R.V.I.S. to be amazing. I think you could do the same with your future kids.”

Tony leaned back and smiled. “Do you really have to move out of the tower? I don’t know what I’ll do without you.”

“You act like I’m moving far away. We’ve only been looking at places in the city. Plus, Pietro can get me here within seconds if you really need anything.”

Tony nodded, but seemed to be thinking. “Have you considered what you’ll be doing once you are all moved in?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, are you going back to your old job?” Tony asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve been gone from it for so long that they probably already hired someone else.”

Tony suddenly had a wide grin. “So, how about you come work here?”

“What?” 

“You could come work here. I pay very well,” Tony smirked.

You rolled your eyes. “I don’t want more of your money. You are already buying my apartment for me.”

“Coming out of Speedy’s allowance. Besides, I wouldn’t just be giving you money. You’d be working for it.”

“What job am I qualified to do in this tower?” Sure, Stark Industries was responsible for a lot of different things, but nothing you could actually work on.

“I don’t know. Be my assistant or something.” Tony shrugged.

You laughed. “You have F.R.I.D.A.Y. as your assistant.”

Tony sighed. “Yes, but F.R.I.D.A.Y. is very new to being used still. She doesn’t have her own personality yet and she still isn’t as smart as she could be. Plus, she doesn’t appreciate my jokes.”

“Who does?” you teased.

Tony stuck out his tongue at you. “At least consider it.”

“I will, but you’ll have to find me an actual job.”

“I will. And, ummm…” Tony paused.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’ve met Vision, right?”

You were confused. “Yes?” Why the sudden change in topic?

“If you were wondering what J.A.R.V. sounded like. Vision has his same voice. But, that’s it.” Tony sounded a little sad again. 

You nodded, not wanting to push the topic too far. “Okay. Uh, Pietro and I are going to look at another apartment today. He was telling me that he really thinks that I’ll like this one.”

“Did he happen to tell you that I was the one who picked it out?”

“No,” you admitted.

Tony pouted. “He was going to take the credit for my wonderful find.”

“Is it really that great?”

“I think this could be the one. Not as expensive or modern as I like, but it suits what you want. Cheap and tiny.”

You smiled. “Cozy. And apartments under ten million dollars are not cheap.”

Tony rolled his eyes. “I have rooms in this tower worth more.”

“I know. But that isn’t what I want.”

Tony grinned. “And my darling daughter gets whatever she wants. You better get me one of those ‘World’s Greatest Dad’ mugs for Father’s Day.”

Your heart actually felt a little warm and you choked up a bit. You hadn’t realized sooner, but the Avengers were really the family you had always wanted. For once, you truly felt like you were with a family who all loved you. “I will,” you managed to reply, trying not to cry.

Tony glanced over your head. “Well, go look at the apartment with your boyfriend,” you turned around to see Pietro waiting for you in the doorway. “But you better have my little girl back before ten or I’ll come after you,” Tony glared at Pietro teasingly.

“I promise to have your daughter back safely before her bedtime,” Pietro replied.

You jumped up off the couch, laughing at their exchange. “I’ll be back soon. Please take a break, since I do think you are getting a cold.”

Tony mock saluted you. You grinned down at him. Leaning down, you gave him a quick hug. “Thanks, Tony. For everything,” you whispered into his ear.

“I should be thanking you,” he whispered back.

Standing back up, you went over to Pietro, who was holding your jacket. “See you tonight. Take some medicine if you aren’t feeling better after your nap.”

“Fine,” Tony whined. “Have fun.”

Pietro helped you put on your jacket as you headed out of the tower. “So, did you find what you were looking for at the mall with Wanda?”

Pietro nodded slowly. “Yes.”

You smirked at him “Are you going to tell me what you got?”

He glanced down at you and matched your smirk. “Nope.”

Heading out onto the street, you both paused in front of the tower. “So, do you at least know the address to this apartment?”

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone. “Yeah, let me just check the number… Okay. This way.” Pietro wrapped his hand around yours and proceeded down the sidewalk.

You were surprised that he was fine with walking. You had expected him to pick you up and rush you there. Must have realized that you had actually put some effort into your hair today. Last time he had ruined your hair, you had given him a stare cold enough to freeze water. Good to know that he was learning.

After about ten minutes of walking in a comfortable silence, Pietro paused. You gazed up at the building he had stopped in front of. It was and older place. Looked like they had converted an old factory into a bunch of apartments. There were big windows all along the window and the brick was worn and dark. You already felt excited as the outside was beautiful. Tony had told you how he thought this place would suit you. Maybe this was the right one.

Pietro gave you an excited smile as he guided you up the front steps. Passing by a doorman, he smiled at both of you as you approached.

“Here again to look at the penthouse?” The doorman asked Pietro.

Pietro nodded and smiled at him. “Yes, had to bring my lovely (Y/N) to see it. She’s the decision maker.”

The man gave you a nod. “It is a pretty spectacular place. Just went on sale. Here in the key, which you’ve already used, so you should have no problems. But, call me if you need anything. I’m Frank, by the way.” Frank held out his hand to you.

Shaking it, you smiled. “(Y/N), nice to meet you.”

“Well, Ms. (Y/N), I hope you enjoy your tour.”

You both waved as Pietro walked over to the elevators. There were three, which you found interesting. The two in the front looked like regular elevators, but the third door had a keyhole instead of a call button. Pietro inserted the key and the doors opened.

“This is the elevator for the penthouse,” Pietro explained at the two of you stepped in.

“Private elevator and a penthouse. Are you sure this isn’t going to be too much again?” you questioned. It was already starting to sound a bit too extravagant. 

Pietro shook his head. “I really think you will love this one. Stark, Wanda, and I have all been here already to check it out. The elevator is just an added safety bonus.”

Ah, that made sense. Of course those three would want you to have the safest apartment possible. Wouldn’t be too surprised if Tony was scheduled to add security systems as some point.

“Okay, this is it.” The doors opened and you stepped inside.

Huge windows overlooking the city. Built-in bookshelves surrounding a gorgeous stone fireplace. The living space was open to a dining room and the kitchen. The kitchen was stunning. Brand new appliances, but beautiful wooden cabinets and a marble countertop. You walked over and stood in front of the sink. In front of it was another large window and you could see the reddish tint to the clouds as the sun was beginning to set.

“Want to see the office?” Pietro asked quietly. All you could manage to do was nod.

He chuckled as he guided you into a separate room. More beautiful bookshelves and another grand window. Smaller than the living room, but it was on the other side of the wall, so there was also a fireplace in the office.

“This can be a perfect room for you to read and write,” Pietro suggested.

He pulled you out of the office and down the hall. A small guest bathroom. A laundry room. A small guest room. Returning to the main area, he led you in the other direction to a set of double doors. Opening them, it revealed a large master bedroom.

“A little bigger than you probably wanted, but I still think it is nice.” Pietro showed you to the master bedroom and the enormous closet.

You chuckled. “Big enough for all of your shoes,” you joked.

Pietro nodded as he guided you back into the living room. “So, do you like it?”

You stared at the room around you in surprise. “It’s still a little bit too extravagant, but I think I could be very happy here forever.” You smiled and turned to look at the fireplace.

“With me?” Pietro asked from behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. 

You leaned back against him. “Of course. I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else.”

Pietro squeezed you tighter. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” You turned your head to kiss him, but Pietro let go and backed up from you. “Hey, where are you going? Come kiss me.”

Pietro was gone in a blur before reappearing before you. Placing a gentle kiss on your lips, he pulled away again. “Just give me a second.”

“For what?” you asked.

Pietro shook slightly as he grabbed your hands. Gently, he passed something into them.

You stared at him confused before glancing down at the mystery gift. A small, black box. Your eyes widened as you looked at it, understanding crossing your features.

Pietro exhaled as he lowered himself down onto one knee. Staring down at him, he tilted his head at the box.

Your hands shook as you opened the lid slowly. Inside was a delicate engagement ring. A silver band with a small square sapphire surrounded by two smaller diamonds. It matched your necklace perfectly and was glittering from the light coming in through the windows.

“(Y/N), you are the best thing to ever happen to me. You have brought me more happiness than I deserve. I never thought that I could ever find someone who I could love so much, but than I found you. You accept me, even with all of my flaws. You have forgiven me when I didn’t deserve to be forgiven. You are patient with me. You are gentle. You have shared with me your deepest fears, just as I have shared mine. And you still continue to accept me. Even when I felt most broken, you loved me. You are my heart and soul. My dearest draga. I will never truly deserve to call you mine, but I will work everyday trying. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you. Would you please do me the honor of marrying me?”

Pietro’s eyes were shining with unshed tears as he gazed up at you. Your whole body was shaking and you felt the tears running down your face. “You want to marry me?” you choked out. 

Pietro smiled up at you and nodded. “I’ve wanted to marry you for a very long time. I was just waiting for the perfect moment.”

You took the ring out of the box and slipped in on. It fit perfectly. Pietro was still on the ground watching you. You lowered yourself down onto your knees and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” you whispered to him.

Pietro pulled away enough so he could kiss you. “I love you. My draga. Thank-you,” he whispered against your lips.

“Why are you thanking me?”

Pietro wiped the remaining tears from your face. Cupping you cheek in his hand, he gazed at you. “For bringing me so much joy. For loving me. For wanting to spend the rest of your life with me.”

“Shouldn’t I be thanking you for all of that? You’re the one who has done all of that for me,” you responded as you placed your left hand on his cheek.

Pietro pulled your hand away with both of his and kissed your ring. “You are too kind to me.”

“Of course, because I love you. My darling fiancé.”


	21. Favors

Settling into a comfy armchair in the tower, you gazed down at your to-do list. 

“Okay. Go furniture shopping. Maybe next week with Wanda,” you marked the paper. “Go grocery shopping. Check. Call Laura and tell her about my engagement. Check. Look for possible jobs in the area. Check. Apply for jobs. Not yet. Get a job. No check yet. Do wedding planning. No check for a while. Pack for spring break trip. No check. Laundry. Not until tomorrow. Finalize papers with Tony for buying the apartment. Doing that tomorrow.” As you continued to make notes to yourself, you saw blue out of the corner of your eye. 

Glancing up, you smiled at your now fiancé, who was lying on the couch next to you.

“All done training?” you asked as you tucked your pen and list back into your bag.

“Yes.” Pietro rubbed a hand over his face and groaned.

“You look exhausted.”

“Not really from the training. My sister and Natasha wanted to know everything about the wedding,” Pietro whined.

You chuckled. “We only got engaged yesterday. How much do they expect you to know?”

“Everything. My sister was getting pretty annoyed. I was certain she was going to use her powers soon if I hadn’t run away.”

“What was she so annoyed about?”

“Wanted to know who would be the best man and maid of honor,” Pietro responded, glanced over at you.

You shrugged. “I want the wedding to be pretty small and I would hate to have to choose. But then, if I did choose, no one would be sitting and watching. Everyone at the wedding would be a bridesmaid or groomsmen. Ummm,” you paused to think. “How about none of that? That way we don’t have to pick favorites. Anyone who wants to come pick out dresses with me is welcome to. And then they can choose what they actually want to wear. I think that’s a good solution. What do you think?”

Pietro covered his face with his arm and sighed dramatically. “I wish you had told me all this before I went to training. Would have saved me a headache.”

“Well, we will still need to choose some things. Like location, flowers, food, outfits. We’ll also want to find someone to officiate. I’m sure someone in this building can do it. Do you think Clint would?” you asked. You knew Pietro would have chosen Clint to be his best man, so you did want him to still be included in the wedding process. Just because you didn’t want to choose between Laura and Wanda didn’t mean Pietro couldn’t have his support up there with him.

Pietro glanced over at you and smiled. “I think so. Want to go ask him? He was going to go do some target practice.”

You hopped up from your seat. “Sure, let’s go.”

It was nice to already be doing some stuff for the wedding. Yes, you had only be engaged a day, but you couldn’t wait to be married. Everything was suddenly moving very fast, but you kinda liked all the positive excitement.

Pietro held you hand as you both walked to the shooting range. Knocking lightly on the door, you heard Clint respond from inside.

“Sorry to bother your training,” you said as you both stepped inside. Clint put his bow down on the table and shrugged.

“It’s fine. Not really training. These targets aren’t too hard to hit. This is more for fun,” he explained. “What do you two need?”

“We came to ask you a favor,” you turned to Pietro and squeezed his hand.

Clint tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Me? Okay, go ahead.”

“Pietro? Do you want to ask him?”

Pietro nodded down at you before looking back to Clint, who was increasingly looking more worried. “Is everything alright with you two? You both seem a little too serious right now.”

You laughed, which seemed to calm Clint down slightly. “Yeah, we’re fine. Pietro, just ask him.”

“Okay. Uh, Clint,” Pietro began.

Clint’s left eyebrow arched up. “Clint? Not old man? Now I’m worried again.”

“Don’t be. I… We were hoping that you would possibly officiate at our wedding. I’m not sure if you have a license to, but I know you can get one, but if you don’t want to go through the trouble…”

Pietro was cut off when Clint pulled you both into a tight hug. “Of course! Sure, I have to get certified, but that can’t be that difficult. I would be happy to.”

You beamed up at him. “Thank-you so much!”

“Thanks, old man,” Pietro teased as he patted Clint’s back.

Clint pulled back and smirked. “That’s better, you punk. Did you two need anything else?”

You shook your head. “Nope. We were just talking and that idea came up, so we had to ask you.”

Clint patted your shoulder. “I’m glad you did. You two know you can come to me for anything, right?”

You leaned forward to give Clint another hug. “Right. Thank-you. We’ll let you get back to your training now.”

“Alright, but call if you need anything else.”

“We will, thanks.”

Pietro guided you out of the training rooms and back to the living space. “That went well.”

“Did you really think Clint was going to say no? You seemed kinda nervous in there,” you said. 

“I guess I just didn’t want to make him feel like he had to do it. Didn’t want to force him into it.”

“That’s sweet of you. So, what do you want to do for the rest of the day? You showered before you came to get me, right?” You leaned in closer to him and sniffed. Smelled clean, but you couldn’t be positive.

Pietro laughed. “Yes, I did,” Pietro paused. Taking in a breath, he stared down at you for a second before nodding. “Actually, I was thinking of something else when we were talking to the old man.”

“What?”

“Come with me. Hopefully, this shouldn’t take long.”

You followed as Pietro led you up the stairs. You quickly noticed that the two of you were heading towards the lab.

“Did you need to see Tony or Bruce about something?” you asked.

Pietro nodded. “Thought I should try to thank Stark for buying our apartment. Just, he’s less of a douche when you are around.”

Laughing, you two passed into the lab. 

“Ah, the lovebirds are here,” Tony announced from under a table.

You walked over and kneeled down. “What are you doing?”

“Just fixing some wires under here. Banner,” Tony pointed at the other hero, who was fully engrossed in what he was reading. “Can’t seem to keep from tripping on these ones and almost ripping them out of their ports. I’m just hooking them all back up.”

Tony fixed a few more wires before standing up. “Okay, that should be all done now. Did you need anything, kid?” Tony asked you.

You shook your head and pointed at Pietro, who was still standing near the door. “Pietro needs to talk to you. I’m just supervising.”

“Supervising?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“To make sure you both play nice.”

“Alright. What’s up, Speedy?” 

“Can we actually go talk in your office?” Pietro said slowly.

Tony frowned and glanced over at you. You shrugged. Maybe Pietro was shy about thanking Tony around others? It would be unusual behavior.

“Kay… Let’s go. Banner, try not to trip on my wires anymore,” Tony called out. Bruce waved a hand, but didn’t seem to actually hear what Tony said.

Tony walked to his office with you and Pietro following close behind. Once inside, he sat down on his desk. Pietro sat in one of the chairs in front of it, while you stood behind his chair.

“So, why so serious, Sonic?” Tony asked cheerfully.

Pietro pulled your hand away from his shoulder. “(Y/N). Stark. Can you both sit down?”

You and Tony shared a look of concern, but complied. You sat in the chair beside Pietro’s, while Tony moved around his desk to sit at his chair.

“Pietro, is something wrong?” you asked him.

Tony glanced between the two of you. “Are you two alright? Something wrong, financially? Tech problems? Apartment questions?”

You were just as confused as Tony. You thought that you had come in to watch Pietro thank Tony, but he seemed too conflicted. Maybe he still hated Tony? But, then why even bother with all of this?

“First. I wanted to thank-you for your help with us getting the apartment,” Pietro said slowly.

Tony frowned. “No problem at all. You don’t need to thank me for that.”

Pietro nodded before taking in a few breaths. “I also wanted to truly thank you for saving (Y/N). I know it was last year. And I know I thanked you back when it happened, but I felt I should thank you again. For saving,” Pietro glanced at you. “For saving my life. I don’t think I would still be alive if I would have lost her.”

You reached out to hold Pietro’s hand. Tony nodded. “Once again, no need to thank me. I was just doing my job. Am I glad I saved (Y/N)? Of course, but I didn’t know who she was when I saved her. You don’t need to thank me when I didn’t really do it for you.”

Pietro shook his head. “Doesn’t matter the reason. You saved her, so I’m grateful.”

You were surprised that Pietro was saying all of this. Pietro had always been so distant with Tony, but you couldn’t blame him. With what happened to his parents, you couldn’t believe how far Pietro had come with Tony. You smiled at him, proud of how much he had matured.

“Stark, I never thought I’d say this, but thank-you. So much,” Pietro stared up at Tony. He gripped your hand tighter and you leaned over to kiss him on the cheek.

Tony shook his head. “No. You really shouldn’t be thanking me. After what I did to you and Wanda. And your family. I know, I didn’t directly do it. But, you should never have to thank me.”

“Well, I have. And I’d like to ask you something important. It doesn’t matter how you respond, but it is tradition,” Pietro suddenly had a mischievous look in his eyes.

You suddenly became worried and you glanced towards Tony. “Pietro, what are you talking about?” you asked slowly. 

“I would like to marry your daughter. Do I have your blessing?” Pietro asked jokingly.

You laughed and smacked his arm lightly. “Don’t worry me like that.”

Tony was laughing as well and Pietro turned to smile at you. “It is tradition, right? And Stark is a much better father to you than your real one, right?” 

You smiled fondly at Pietro before nodding. “Right.”

Tony had stopped laughing and was now smiling at the both of you. “Not that it matters at all. Since she already said yes. I can’t go against my darling daughter’s wishes. Of course I give you both my blessing. And my money,” Tony wiped a fake tear from his eye.

You jumped up and walked around the desk to hug him. “Thanks dad,” you laughed.

While you still had your arms wrapped around Tony, Pietro cleared his throat. Wrapping an arm around your shoulders, Tony and you turned to look at him. “Something else?” Tony asked.

Pietro nodded. “Since you were kind enough to agree to our marriage, isn’t it only right that you should walk (Y/N) down the aisle? I mean, only if (Y/N) agrees.”

Your eyes started to water as you stared at Pietro. Someone who used to be so full of hate and thoughts of revenge. Now, he was actually asking Tony to give you away.

“I would be happy to. But, only if you want me to, (Y/N). Your dad may still actually want to do it,” Tony said to you.

You shook your head and hugged Tony. “I would be much happier if you walked with me, Tony. I’m so lucky to have found my family here.”

Tony kept hugging you, but dragged you around the desk. Picking you up slightly, he handed you to Pietro. “Just practicing,” he said when you looked confused.

You stick out your tongue. “That isn’t how you do it. Please try to be serious at the actual wedding.”

Tony patted you on the head. “I will. If I’m not sobbing hysterically at seeing my little girl all grown up.”

Pietro was wrapped around you tightly and you couldn’t help the wide grin on your face. Yes, you were finally part of a family.


	22. Promises of Forever

Sitting in the secluded room, you stared at yourself in the mirror. You had asked to have a second alone, but you were starting to regret that decision. The dress was beautiful and Natasha had done your hair nicely. Yet, you felt like you weren’t ready. The veil was in place. Flowers atop the table. Shoes on securely. Makeup already completed. No, you were missing something. 

Panicking slightly, you began to pace around the room. Tony would be coming to get you at any second. Phone? No, why would you need your phone during the wedding? Ummmm, why did you feel like something was lost? Scanning the room, you checked everything. No. None of this was right. Maybe you should call Wanda? No, she was probably already outside. Tony was likely to be the only one left in the building since he was going to be walking you down the aisle.

Staring out the window, you tried to calm down. The ocean waves were hitting against the shore and the few clouds floated past. With everyone working so hard and the agreement to have a small wedding, the plans had all been made quickly. You were lucky, the spring break trip that you had all been planning turned into your wedding trip plus honeymoon. Tony had rented out the entire resort and the private beach attached to it, so that no one would disturb the occasion. Yet, now you were kinda hoping for a disturbance. Something to give you time to figure out what was missing.

Someone knocked on the door. “Hey, you almost ready?” Tony called from behind it.

You rushed over and quickly opened it for him. “Yeah, just…”

Tony tilted his head in confusion. “Something wrong?”

You nodded and continued to look around the room. “I’m missing something. I just can’t remember what.”

Tony chuckled and went to grab your bouquet. “You’re just nervous. You aren’t missing anything.”

You paused. “What? No, why would I be nervous? I’ve been looking forward to this.”

“Because you’re scared.”

“Scared? Of what? Marrying Pietro? I love him, Tony. I want to marry him.”

Tony handed you the flowers and smiled sadly. “Your parents didn’t end up working out. Of course, you and Pietro aren’t like them, but the thought still probably scares you a little. You’re afraid of losing him. But, you’ll be fine.”

“What if it isn’t fine? What if we end up just like my parents? I can’t…. I can’t go through something like that again. Not with Pietro,” your hands began to shake.

Tony placed a hand on your shoulder. “Listen. You two will be fine. You both love each other and have gotten through a lot of hard times. You just have to continue to trust each other and love each other. Everything will work out if you do,” Tony said sternly.

“Are you sure?” you asked, still a little nervous.

Tony smiled. “Definitely. And besides, you should really listen to me. Aren’t I the smartest guy you know?”

You laughed. “Wouldn’t that be Bruce?”

Tony scoffed. “How dare you insult me like that. Tell me I’m the smartest or we aren’t going to your wedding.”

“You’re the smartest,” you whined.

“Good,” Tony held out his arm to you. “Ready to go?”

Hooking your arm around his, you smiled. “Yeah. Thanks Tony.”

Tony guided you down the resort hallway to a large set of open doors. You could hear the music beginning to play in the background when you two were approaching.

“By the way, I should tell you that you look beautiful. Speedy is going to be speechless,” Tony whispered to you as you both waiting for the queue to exit.

“Thank-you Tony. For everything,” you whispered back.

“Anything for you kid. Always.”

As you both stepped out of the doors, you were met with a rolled out carpet. Tony led you down and smiled at you. You exhaled before he guided you to follow the carpet and turn right, facing the alter. 

Everyone was seated in their chairs on both sides of the aisle. Wanda was beaming from the front row. Laura was on the other side and looked ready to start crying. As you stared up at them, the group all stood to watch you proceed. You gripped Tony’s arm tightly as you passed by your friends, who were all smiling widely at you.

Looking forward, Clint was standing directly below the alter. He gave you a small nod when you met eyes. Smiling at him, you finally turned your head slightly to gaze at Pietro.

Pietro was wearing a sleek suit and his hair was carefully styled. He was standing extremely still and you began to worry at his odd behavior, until you looked up at his face. His eyes were opened wide and he was gazing at you with awe. The adoration on his face made your heart beat faster and your breathing shorter.

Finally at the end of the aisle, Tony turned to you. Lifting your veil away from your face, he smiled. Giving you a peck on the forehead, he took your hand. Placing your hand in Pietro’s, Tony gave both of you a smile. Taking your bouquet, he handed you a slip of paper and you nodded at him as he went to sit down.

“You are glowing, draga,” Pietro whispered to you as you both turned to Clint.

“Don’t you dare make me cry,” you whispered back and he chuckled.

The ceremony began and you almost couldn’t focus on what Clint was saying. The paper in your hand was begging to feel heavy as you waited.

Finally, Clint paused to look at you. “I believe both of you have written your own vows. (Y/N), would you like to go first?”

You nodded before unfolding the piece of paper. Turning to Pietro, your hands shook as you gazed at him. 

“Pietro. I never imagined that our chance encounter over a year ago would have such an impact on my life. You are the kindest person I have ever met. You are patient with me. You are the reason that I am so happy I could cry. Thank you for letting me into your life. I promise to always be there for you. I promise to always care for you. To always love you. You are my best friend and everything that I have ever wanted. You pushed me into a much more hectic life, but I wouldn’t want anything else. You are my home. My life. My love. My hero. I am so happy that I get to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Pietro’s eyes were beginning to water, but he was smiling so happily at you. Taking your hand, he raised it to his lips. Giving it a small kiss, he squeezed it tightly.

“(Y/N). I knew from the moment I met you that you were special. Nothing makes me happier than being able to make you smile. Your laugh is my favorite sound in the world. Your eyes are my favorite color. I love everything about you and still struggle to believe that you are mine. You are the most compassionate person I know. You don’t judge me for my weaknesses, but instead you comfort me. I have never been able to stay in one place for very long, but that has changed. I’ll never want to be apart from you. When you are not around, I am anxious. I miss you every second that I am not with you. And yet, even with my anxieties, you still accept me. You are the one who saved me. You have always fulfilled your promise to protect me. Which is why I will always be there for you. Every day of my life, I will work hard in order to be worthy of standing beside you. Worthy of being the one you love. I love you. Everyday I love you more and I will never let you down you. I will love you forever. Draga, (Y/N), you are my soulmate and I will always be thankful that I met you.”

Your lip trembled and you felt a few tears pass down your cheeks. Pietro reached out his hand to wipe away the stray tears.

“Now, present the rings,” Clint stated. He handed you a silver band.

Your hand shook as you slowly slid the metal onto Pietro’s finger. Pietro then took your hand and slid your ring on. The diamond glittered as he lifted your hand to his lips again, but this time he only kissed your ring.

“Then, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride.”

Wrapped your arms around Pietro’s neck, he placed both of his hands on the sides of your face. Gazing down at you, he leaned forward and kissed you passionately. The cheers around you seemed far away as you focused on you husband. 

Leaning back slightly, Pietro gave you a smirk. You raised an eyebrow, confused. Giving you a wink, he quickly ducked out of sight. You laughed when he picked you up in his arms. Carrying you like the bride you were. You grabbed back onto his neck as he carried you down the aisle. 

Your friends all threw flower petals at your approaching forms. Tony passed you back your bouquet, which you immediately threw back into the crowd. Landing right into Pepper’s hands, everyone laughed as Tony pretended to hide behind Thor.

Gazing back at them, you finally looked up at Pietro, who was still carrying you away.

“I love you.”

Pietro leaned down to kiss you again. “I love you too. My draga. My love. My darling wife.”


	23. Epilogue

A relaxing snowy day. Body under a comfy blanket in the library of your apartment. The fireplace on and emitting a comfortable glow in the dim room. Staring out the large window, you blew on your hot chocolate and smiled. The snow had begun falling earlier and it hadn’t stopped all day. The entire city was slowly being covered.

It was only about 2 P.M., but the dark sky made it seem much later. You had been thrilled when you woke up to see the falling snow. No snow day, since you were already on a vacation, but it was fun to think of it that way. Not that your job was bad enough that you liked being away from it.

You had gotten the job over a year and a half ago. Despite your resistance, somehow you had ended up working as Tony’s assistant. The pleading that had drove you to acceptance, however didn’t come from Tony, but it came from Pepper. The minute she realized that you could get him to actually go to meetings on time was when she had begun begging you. After a week of her constant begging, you had caved.

Pietro, of course, was overjoyed to have you working in the tower. Working in a place that you would be protected. Plus, Tony was not a strict boss. He gave you pretty lenient break periods, so you got to go hang out with the other Avengers frequently. 

Without realizing, your job had expanded to being an assistant to all of them. Steve would always need help with whatever new gadget Tony recently installed in the training room. Natasha would ask you to quickly deliver messages. Clint would beg for food and water after an intense training section. Bruce would have you help hold things and record some notes while in the lab. Tony must have realized you had begun to do all this because he wouldn’t require you to really do anything. Your only job with Tony was make sure he goes to meetings. And that he is presentable at those meetings.

The twins never really asked for you to do anything, but they did spend a lot of time with you. Wanda had decided that she wanted to learn how to cook, so you would let her help you each day. You stuck to simple recipes because you had tried to teach her how to make a pie and it had not gone well. After stressing out about her crust, she had accidentally caused the pie to explode with her powers. Pietro hadn’t been able to stop laughing for hours after the incident. 

Pietro would walk down the halls with you. Once you began working, he would sprint off to go train, but would check in occasionally. Whenever you had a break, you would go down to the track with some water for him. Resting on a bench, he would always try to hug you while sweaty. You would also push him away laughing and telling him he needed a shower. That would usually proceed to you both in the shower, but you couldn’t really complain about that.

Your happy days working would only be occasionally disrupted by trips and missions. Trips where you could have fun, but also be a useful assistant. Missions where you would be lonely at the tower, usually bothering whichever hero had stayed behind to hold down the fort. 

Although you were on vacation, the rest of the group wasn’t as lucky. A mission had come up this morning and everyone had been required to go. Nobody could stay behind because Thor was off somewhere with Jane, enjoying his time not in Asgard. 

Placing your now empty mug on the table next to you, you sighed. You wished Pietro could be here to enjoy the lovely snow with you. Well, you weren’t too lonely, since you weren’t alone.

Standing up, you walked into the guest bedroom. No. Can’t keep calling it that. Nursery. Yes. 

Creeping up to the crib, you smiled down at your sweet daughter. Only two months old and already a quiet sleeper. You were incredibly lucky to have such a well-behaved little girl. You had expected her to be hyperactive like her father, but she was much more gentle. 

Well, she did still have her tantrums. You chuckled quietly to yourself thinking about yesterday. You had gone out to lunch with Wanda because Pietro had wanted you to have a day off. You had come home to a screaming baby and a desperate husband. 

As you gazed down at her, she slowly blinked her eyes open. She began to fuss, so you quickly picked her up into your arms.

“Shhhhhh. It’s alright, my love. No need to cry, my little Luna,” you murmured to your daughter.

Luna stopped fussing for a bit to gaze up at you. Smiling down at her, you placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

“Do you want to see the snow? You’ve never seen a snowstorm before.”

You carried your daughter to the window. Gazing out the window, you could see she was beginning to nod off again.

“Still sleepy? I guess that makes sense. You were crying for quite a while when Papa left.”

This morning had been a bit stressful. While Pietro was getting ready to leave, Luna had begun crying loudly. Pietro had tried to make up excuses to stay, but you had refused. So, you had dealt with many tears this morning, but thankfully she was tired now. 

Luna Wanda Maximoff. You hadn’t told Wanda until after Luna was born, so the look of shock on her face was priceless. Wanda had promised not to peek into any heads to find out the name and her surprise had proven that she had kept her promise. Luna came from her platinum blonde hair and her being born on the night of a full moon. Although you and Pietro had not originally been planning on the name, it had seemed perfect when you both held her. She looked so much like Pietro that you began crying so happily when he held her. They both just looked so perfect together. Then, she had opened her eyes to reveal that she had your eye color. That only made you cry more tears of joy.

Rocking back and forth with Luna, you wandered out of her room back to the library. Settling back into your chair, you wrapped the blanket around you both. Holding Luna against your heart.

“I’ve never seen something more beautiful,” Pietro said quietly.

You didn’t jump, not wanting to wake Luna, but your head whipped around to stare at the doorway.

Pietro was leaning against the frame with a gentle smile on his face. In a flash, he was kneeling on the ground in front of you.

You carefully reached out to hand Luna to him. Pietro cradled her close and nuzzled his nose into her hair.

“That wasn’t a very long mission,” you whispered.

Pietro shook his head. “Actually, they all are still preparing at the tower.”

“What? You left before the mission even started?”

“I got bored waiting. They kept going through simulations. They knew how much I’d rather stay here, so they got Agent Hill to cover for me,” Pietro explained.

“That was nice of her.”

Pietro shrugged. “She wants to come over tomorrow to see Luna.”

You chuckled. “Right, I forgot that she has been working overseas and hasn’t gotten to see Luna yet.”

“So, what have you been doing for the few hours I was gone?”

“Well, Luna was still crying for a while after you left. I got her to nurse for a while and then she fell asleep. She’s actually been sleeping for the last two hours.”

Pietro raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Lucky you.”

You gazed down at him. “I am lucky, aren’t I?”

Pietro stood up, so he was staring down at you. “Not as lucky as me. I have the most beautiful wife in the entire world and the most beautiful daughter in the entire world.”

You smiled up at him. “You might not want to keep saying that.”

Pietro frowned. “Why not? It is true.”

“Weren’t you the one that wanted to have another? What if we have another girl?” you asked.

Pietro laughed and nodded. “I understand. Most beautiful wife in the entire world. Most beautiful children in the entire world, when we have another.”

Gazing up at Luna, you smiled. “But not for a while. For now, this is more than enough.”

“Draga, stand up.”

You stood from your chair, now able to stare down at her sleeping face. 

“Thank-you. For making me feel so lucky. I love you. Forever,” Pietro whispered to you.

“I love you. Thank-you so much for appearing in that coffee shop that day.”

Pietro smiled. “Did I ever tell you that I saw you outside the window? I actually hadn’t been planning to go inside, but I saw you look at me. I went inside because I wanted to meet you.”

You stared in shock at him. “Really?”

“Yes. I was supposed to go back to the tower immediately, but stopped to chat with you. Best decision I have ever made in my life.”

You smiled. “Did I ever tell you that I saw you outside the window when you put your phone away? And that I thought you looked hot?”

Pietro smirked. “That isn’t new information.”

“And that I waited to see you leave, but all I saw was a blue blur. That same blur that is now a constant sight in my life was once something that I thought I imagined. An impossible blue streak. Like a fantasy. Like a dream,” you trailed off.

“Not a dream. Not imagined. This is our life and I wouldn’t change anything in it. I love you, my draga.”

“I love you too,” you kissed him gently. “my blue blur.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank- you all so much for supporting this fic all the way through. I'm very happy that so many of you have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am lucky to say that I actually got this done before going back to college. I may write more fics that specifically involve this Pietro and reader, but I'm going to take a bit of a break for a while. Thank- you again for being so supportive.


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